A Light in the Dark
by starhawk2005
Summary: At the suggestion of a fellow author, I am re-posting all the Light in the Dark fics here in one place. Summary: After the Battle of Manhattan, Thor never returns from Asgard, and a threatening Loki starts appearing to Jane. What does he want with her?
1. Just a Bit of Fun

**Just a Bit of Fun**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: August 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane**

**Rating: Loki has a few smutty thoughts, so I'll stick with Adult (18+) just to be safe.**

**Summary: A prequel to Embracing the Dark (Loki/Jane, BDSM). After he is returned to Asgard, Loki escapes his prison and decides to return to Midgard. How can an angry and hurting god pass the time? Oh look, there's Thor's **_**woman**_**. He did promise to pay her a visit, right? Loki's POV.**

**Beta: Many thanks as always to canyr12, Norse Goddess of Beta'ing.**

**Disclaimer: Loki wants to own Jane, and yet I can't own either of them? How unfair is that?**

**Author's Note: Gift!fic for my awesome beta and sounding board, canyr12. Many of the ideas here are due to several lengthy discussions we've had, about Loki and his characterization and motivations. **

**Also, I'm currently working on a sequel to Embracing the Dark, too. It's not over by a long shot, not if Loki has his way with ****me**** my Muses.**

Had this been any other situation, no doubt Loki would have found the whole thing perfectly amusing. He, the God of Lies, the Trickster, having been taken in by the greatest lie, the greatest _trick_, of them all.

He, the master of illusions, has in fact been wearing one his entire life, all the while completely unaware that he was doing so. An illusion of normalcy, covering over the patterned blue skin and red eyes of a _Jotun_.

But he is not in a laughing mood. Falling from the Asbru bridge, winding up a prisoner of Thanos, and all that came after….but he doesn't want to think about that, not now.

He paces his jail cell slowly, nursing his anger, glaring out the small barred window. Once, the sight of Asgardian constellations might have comforted him (or perhaps he is being overly nostalgic), but now they are only a reminder of everything that has been taken from him. His Asgardian identity, his powers, his right to rule. Even his freedom.

The bars and walls of the cell shimmer, all of it laced through with Odin's magic, keeping him penned in. Loki has tried everything, tried to use his magic to cast illusions outside the cell to distract his guards, tried to cloak himself from their sight. But even with great effort, he can only conjure things inside the cell, and even those look transparent and half-formed, and cloaking himself in magic and trying to make his escape that way seems hopeless.

So he paces and tries not to think about all that has come before this moment. But despite his promise to himself, he cannot help but think back to arriving at Asgard once more, chained and gagged and in the company of Thor and the Tesseract. He had tried, oh how he had tried to explain to Thor and Odin why he had done what he had.

Yes, even he must acknowledge that his former plot to destroy Jotunheim was motivated by madness and rage, but the rest, all that came after he fell into the void between realms? Loki shakes his head.

Everything he had done – _everything_ - had been for Asgard.

But they do not believe him. The rage and pain are such that he thinks he might drown in them.

It makes him even angrier that Odin will not admit his part in these affairs, either. That Odin refuses to acknowledge that in hiding his heritage from Loki, and in grooming him to rule those…._monsters_ on Jotunheim, that perhaps the great All-Father had been in error. But no, the fault is ever Loki's, according to his 'loving family'. Disgust with Odin adds itself to Loki's rage and pain.

His mother (yet not, never his) has been to see him several times, but thus far he has refused to talk to her. What is there to say? He will not repeat the tale again. Thor, too, has deigned to visit, but it always degenerates into shouting matches, and Loki soon tires of even that release of his anger. The most deserving target, Odin, of course does not come.

So Loki paces and tries not to think, continuing to periodically test the limits of his cage, of the magic that contains him, searching for an exit. He will not repent, not even to earn his freedom. It would be a lie, and even as the so-called God of Lies, there are some falsehoods that even Loki does not wish to speak.

He is not blameless, that much he will admit, however reluctantly, but he will _not_ serve as their scapegoat.

He does not know how long he has been caged here. Several cycles of the sun, certainly, but how _many_? Irrelevant. Time is not normally a concern to a being as long-lived as him. But it does frustrate him, that he cannot find a way out of this cage, no matter what tricks he attempts, and the longer he is here, the more his frustration grows.

Finally it occurs to him, that perhaps not all of his magic has been chained by Odin.

Loki waits until the quietest part of the evening, then flexes his hands, summoning that most hated part of himself, the magic that he would prefer to forget that he has access to.

His hands turn blue as the _cold_ rushes into them, and Loki smiles but without any pleasure. So, _this_ part of him still is at maximum capability. _Foolish All-Father_, he thinks, but his triumph is dim and distant.

It is too bad that he cannot access the Casket of the Jotuns, but that part of his magic has also been chained. He cannot open the pocket dimension where he is keeping it. No matter. He will have to make do with what Jotun powers he can muster on his own, nauseous as that notion makes him.

More out of curiosity than anything else, as he does not truly know the limits of his Jotun abilities, he wraps his hands around the lock of the cell door, channeling every last ounce of _cold_ into them that he can. Soon he cannot feel his hands. The ice spreads faster than he expects, engulfing the lock, climbing the bars, and Loki pulls his hands from the lock with a great effort.

Not truly believing it will work, he kicks at the frozen bars with all his strength. To his elation, the bars give with a satisfying crack. He kicks again, aiming this time for the lock itself, and the metal shatters like glass, the remains of the lock falling to the floor with a bang that makes Loki wince. He can already hear the shouts from down the corridor.

He shoves the twisted cell door open, and as soon as he crosses the threshold of his cage, his true magic (as far as he is concerned) returns to him like water filling a vessel. He smiles in sheer glee, filling the jail with smoke and casting several duplicates of himself, just as the guards come running.

He knows he could just kill them, but since that will not do anything to improve his standing at court, he merely knocks them out one by one and steals some daggers before slipping down the corridor. He runs, cloaking himself in his magic, heading into the bowels of the castle, to the last remaining place that he thinks can get him away from Asgard.

It takes a little time, but Loki finds the spot, a place that feels both warm and cold, though only a master of magic like himself is capable of realizing what that indicates. Good, it is still here. He had worried that Heimdall would find this egress from Asgard, but apparently it has not been discovered yet.

He looks down at his hands, and Odin's illusion is back on them. Once again, he can pretend that he is not the monster. Perhaps he should be grateful to the All-Father; it's the only true gift his 'father' has given him. Even if it should never have been necessary in the first place. But then again, his true father had left him to _die_.

Loki shakes his head. This is not the time or place. He reaches for the pathway's magic and pulls it towards him, weaving it into the shape he needs. When his makeshift Bifröst is ready, he points it to the only relatively 'safe' place he can think of, and narrows his thoughts to focus on that one place.

Everything turns white, then breaks apart in coloured shards, and he finds himself standing in a desert, alien stars wheeling above him.

He's on Midgard.

He feels like laughing. _'Safe', _this_ place?_ Regrettably, it is true. The mortals pose no threat to him, and even the so-called Avengers (except for that blasted green _beast, _but next time, Loki will be ready) are laughably weak. Loki should be safe enough here, so long as he keeps himself hidden from Heindall's spying eyes. Easy enough, as such has long been second nature to him.

He starts walking, wrapping himself in the colours of the air and hiding himself from any mortal eyes that may be watching. Until he knows exactly where he is, it seems prudent. Weak though they are, he does not know how many mortals may recognize him, and he has had his fill of battles for the moment.

All too soon, he discovers where he is. The barest _taste_ of familiar magic drifts across the night air, and despite his better judgment, he follows it. When he encounters the sigil of the Bifröst, burned into the desert floor and half-buried by sand, he clenches his fists in rage. Of course, the very last place on Midgard he wants to be, that is where he winds up.

He smiles humorlessly, then, letting his hands relax. _I did promise Thor that I would pay his woman a visit._ He imagines how it would frighten Thor, to know his little brother is so _close_ to her. Not that Loki has any intention of revealing himself to any Asgardian watchers who may be seeking him, but it amuses him to imagine Thor's reaction, if he found out.

It's a petty revenge, but it's not as if he has anything better to do. He has no friends, no family, no allies. No one. So he will take what small pleasures he can, whatever diversions he can, wherever he can.

He finds the laughable excuse for a city easily enough, especially once he finds the first old signs of scarring on the earth, left over from the Destroyer. He pushes aside any feelings of guilt. Feeling such is of no use, and in any case, he hadn't been in his right mind back then. He will admit to that much, but he refuses to own _all_ the blame for this. Some must surely fall on the All-Father, and on all those who perpetrated the great lie of his existence.

Once at the edge of the city, it takes merely one quick, simple spell, and he locates her easily enough. He could teleport his way to her, but perversely, he chooses to walk through the city, glaring darkly at everyone he passes, though of course they do not see him. By this time, the sun has risen, and it is well on the way to mid-morning when Loki is standing in front of _the woman's_ laboratory. He remembers her face, seen through the fiery red haze of the Destroyer's vision, recalls her kneeling over the prone body of Thor. Spotting her through the many windows, Loki recognizes her as the would-be consort of his un-brother. He smiles without humour again. How unfortunate for _her_, that she will be the one to pay, instead of his brother.

For several days, he contents himself with just watching. The mortals scurry about like two-legged mice, _the woman_ obviously, foolishly, focused on finding a way to Asgard. He knows Selvig quite well, of course, after everything that's happened, and he has absolutely no interest in the other mortal woman, but it is instructive to listen to their conversations. _The woman_ obviously pines for Thor, and it grates on Loki's nerves almost enough to make him abandon this. Another fool, taken in by his brother's oafish charm. _How sad for you, _he thinks sarcastically.

But he bores quickly of just watching. Thor will never learn that he is here, and _the woman_ has no idea, either. The longer he watches, the angrier he becomes. He wants someone to _pay_, and it may as well be her. It isn't much, not compared to all he had before, but having power over her will do, for a time. An amusement to help pass the time here on this barren rock of a planet.

He waits until she is alone, then he enters the laboratory invisibly, moving to stand behind her. Loki is a little surprised when she spins around, obviously expecting someone to be in the room with her. He did not expect a mere mortal to be so _sensitive_. She can feel his presence, can she? Good. It fans the flames of his hatred even further.

He continues to haunt her for several cycles of their sun (again, he is not sure exactly how long, and it scarcely matters), once even going right up behind her, nearly against her, letting his breath fall on her. Her panicked reaction amuses him greatly, and the thought of Thor apoplectic with helpless rage does much to increase his pleasure in the moment.

To further her unease, he then starts to allow her to see him, the briefest of glimpses at first. He lurks in Selvig's office sometimes, other times he follows her in the street, or positions himself so she will see him as she drives by in that wheeled contraption the mortals currently favour as transport. He chooses to clothe himself as a mortal man would, as his Asgardian armour will probably lead _the woman_ to recognize him all the faster, and he would prefer to draw this game out as long as he can.

Soon she figures it out regardless, to judge by her visits to the library. He smirks as he reads about himself over her shoulder. _Ah, mortals and their penchant for embellishment._ He, turning female and birthing Odin's horse? He hadn't realized the Midgardians had heard that ridiculous tale. He barely restrains himself from laughing out loud at their stupidity and alerting his prey to his presence. Still, his alleged misdeeds should be enough to increase _the woman's_ unease, which is quite acceptable to him.

His next step is to appear to her in her dreams, silently at first, letting his armoured appearance and his expression of rage stoke the flames of her fear. He savours her reaction, again imagining Thor's terror and ire if he only knew. Perhaps Loki _should_ allow Heimdall to see him, as he doubts strongly that Odin would send Thor back to Midgard just to save one helpless mortal female, even if she is Thor's most recent wench.

But then he decides against this. He's gleaning enough enjoyment as it is.

Especially once she finally challenges him, during one of his dream-visits. _Who are you?_

Such a paltry attempt at bravado does indeed entertain. _Surely you know. Did you not spend hours in your precious library, reading all about my misdeeds?_

She's shaking now, and it makes him want to grin. _Loki, _she says.

_The very same. I told my brother that I would have to pay you a visit. _And I keep my promises, he gloats to himself.

When she tells him to go away, he laughs, and in the dream, he moves closer to her instead, enjoying the way she cowers back from him. Such a small victory, but it is something, is it not? _Why should I go? Thor isn't here to protect you from me, little mortal._ For once, Thor can do nothing, and it adds to Loki's enjoyment immensely.

But her reaction surprises him. Not the anger, but the _bitterness_. Perhaps not everyone believes that Thor is Odin's gift to the Worlds tree. But he won't fool himself into thinking he's found an ally. _The woman_ is useless to him, except as a moment's entertainment.

After that visit, he continues to dog her steps, allowing her occasional glimpses of him, once allowing her again to feel him breathing right behind her. Such a pleasant diversion, to watch her frightened reactions. He can almost forget everything that came before, to lead to this.

When he next chooses to visit her in her slumbers, she still puts on a brave face, and he has to grudgingly admire that. She's utterly helpless, and she surely must know that, but he has not broken her spirit. Yet.

_How can you even be here?_ _Thor took you prisoner-_

He interrupts her, preferring not to remember how he escaped, and the unwanted powers he'd had to access to do so. It angers him all over again, how Odin's actions once again had forced him to acknowledge his monstrous beginnings.

He sneers at her:_ Think you that I am so easily held? What sort of trickster could I claim to be then?_ He disappears from her dream, leaving her to process that. Or rather, he lets her _think_ that he has left. Cloaked in illusion, he stands in the middle of the abode and savours the victory as he watches his prey try to stop shaking. She doesn't weep, though. _Impressive,_ even he must admit. _For a mortal._

Loki soon invades her dreams again, curious to see what she will do this time. This time, she is the most angry he's ever seen her, and he doesn't hide his delight.

_Yeah, look at the big powerful god, threatening a defenseless woman, _she spits at him.

He laughs, considering his response. _I'm not threatening anything, I'm _promising_. _He prepares to watch her dissolve into tears. Surely that must finally break her spirit.

_Are you going to kill me? _She demands instead. She has stones, to be sure. If one could say that about a female.

Loki decides to give her the truth, for all the good it will do her. _Kill you? No. Where would be the_ fun _in that?_ Indeed, take her unimportant life, and this diversion is all over. He's not yet ready to end this game, unfortunately for her. Imagining that she will only tremble uncontrollably again, he does not bother to stay and watch this time.

The next time he appears to her, however, she seems genuinely less afraid, and it puzzles him as much as it angers him. Her fear is the point of this little exercise, is it not? He's dangerous, he's the one in control, and she's _nothing_. Does she think his threats empty?

He will have to try harder, then.

_Why don't you tell the truth for once?_ she demands. _Why are you here?_

Loki leers. He thinks he knows just how to put the fear back into her dark eyes. He gets close to her and leans in, invading her space, dwarfing her. _Watch your tone, mortal_, he warns her. It takes barely a ripple of his magic to twist the dream, to make his snakes form. They have always served to startle and cause fear before.

But _the woman_ barely seems to notice, which annoys Loki even further. _Make no mistake, Jane Foster, _he purrs - and she should be grateful he is even deigning to address her by name - _I'm a god, and you're nothing. I _could_ kill you. _He won't, of course, but _the woman_ doesn't know that.

_Then why don't you? And don't tell me it's more '_fun' _not to, _she says. Again, unwillingly, he admires her gumption. Perhaps Thor did choose well after all – this mortal actually appears to possess a modicum of intellect. And bravery.

It takes him a moment to think of a suitable response, one that will put him firmly in the dominant position in this dark dance. _I _could _kill you, but I have a better idea. Instead, I'll make you mine. My slave. You're going to give me everything you gave _him, _and more. Far more. _

He expects _that _will do it. All women fear being taken against their will, and Thor's lover ought to be no different.

It had been some time since he'd had the pleasure of bedding a woman, and it is true that he does hunger for it. But forcing a woman is beneath him; rape is, as far as Loki is concerned, the province of those without the wit to practice the fine arts of seduction. Coaxing a lover into bed, particularly a reluctant one, is a game he has always enjoyed in the past, a testament to his skill.

As much as he enjoys frightening _the woman_, and as much as taking her against her will would frighten her even more, the thought of actually doing so turns his stomach.

But of course, _she_ does not know that. He almost pities her.

When her response is to laugh, though, he is surprised all over again. How strange her reaction seems, and it confounds and enrages at the same time.

_A kiss… was all… I gave him, _she clarifies between hysterical sounds, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. But Loki is not foolish enough to mistake those tears for pain or terror. His little entertainment is taking such unexpected turns. It fascinates him, despite himself.

But when _the woman_ stretches a hand out to him and invites him to kiss her, the rage returns to him once more in a dark tide. _How_ dare _she mock _me_?_

He will teach her a lesson. He straddles her on the narrow bed, stretching forward until they are nose-to-nose. _I wouldn't tease, if I were you, Jane. You have no idea what I am capable of doing to you. _He conjures the sound of snakes. Even he's not sure exactly what he is threatening her with this time exactly – rape? bodily harm? – but he can't imagine her laughing at him _now_.

But she holds his gaze, despite her obvious fear. Equal parts disappointed and surprised, he abruptly departs her dream. However, he chooses once again to remain in her miserable dwelling, hidden in the shadows. His curiosity won't allow him to leave just yet.

He observes her closely. She is blushing, it appears, and it is an odd reaction, given what has come before. He finds himself approaching the foot of her bed and leaning in again, wanting to be sure. Her pupils are dilated, and unless his superior senses betray him, there is a decided scent on the air.

_She is_ aroused. _How deliciously unexpected._ Returning swiftly to the middle of the dwelling, standing well back from her, Loki ponders this new turn of events.

It does hold a certain appeal for him, he must admit. Small women hold no particular favour or disfavour with him, and she is shapely and comely enough, as far as he can determine. He tends to find spirited women the most enjoyable of bedmates, and she does have spirit, he will grant her that.

He watches her as she climbs out of bed, heading shakily past him to the eating area of the dwelling, sitting down at the small table. He allows himself to fantasize about what she might look like, her body bared and splayed out before him. How will she respond to his caresses? What sounds will she make? He thinks about watching the sweat bead on her pale skin, of how her face might look with her eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy. He feels his own first stirrings of arousal. It _has_ been a long time. Too long.

Enjoying the fantasy, especially while the object of his musings is so close and unaware, he continues the train of thought, moving silently to stand behind her. When he has her well on the way to orgasm, what then? In his vast experience, some women are nearly silent in their surrender, while others broadcast their enjoyment with much noise, and how might this particular mortal react? If he brings her to the edge, will his name fall from her lips as she yields to the pleasure he provides?

It is a potent series of questions, a highly tempting fantasy that he does not think he will set aside. This is not the game he had originally planned, but the clever strategist can adjust for unexpected events, after all. He does pride himself on _that_, if nothing else.

A number of days pass by, and Loki indeed finds himself following the mortal more out of curiosity than out of a desire to frighten. She had stood up to him when many of her peers would have cowered, and perhaps gone insane with fear. She had even, apparently, found it -_him_- arousing!

Besides her body's unexpected reaction to him, her anger and bitterness at Thor also interests Loki, if only because he had expected otherwise. Even those wenches Thor had set aside in the past after a brief dalliance always continued to speak of Thor with fondness and affection. Rare was the wench who seemed to bear the idiot a grudge, and this had always annoyed Loki beyond measure. Certainly Loki had not enjoyed such a reaction from his past conquests, at least not the majority of them.

Could everyone truly not _see_ Thor's flaws? So it would seem - from Odin, to the common Asgardian, to the quickly-tumbled wenches - and yet here, on Midgard, this mortal female might actually think Thor to be something other than_ perfection_. Again, utterly unexpected, and interesting.

Would it not be the ultimate revenge on his un-brother; rather than terrifying Jane into madness (assuming such was even possible – she was _strong_, apparently), instead to have her for his own? Jane Foster, willing paramour of Loki of Asgard, that would surely hit his brother hard, in a place no armour or enchanted hammer could defend him. To take his brother's would-be lover for his own, that would be as one pleasure, heaped upon another pleasure.

Once his decision is made, Loki next wonders how best to approach her. If she has found his threats attractive (as it seems she must), that suggests that she _wants_ to submit to his rule.

He threatens her with enslavement, and it awakens her desires? He smiles to himself. Oh yes, he's played this particular bed-game many times before, of master and slave. In fact, it is one of his favourites, so he is only too willing to take on such a role again. How sweet will it be, that she will freely accept his rule over her, that she will yield to him something that not only had she never given Thor, but also that his brother lacks even the imagination to demand of her?

As he lurks in the shadows of her dwelling, watching Jane preparing for bed – he's not sure exactly when he stopped thinking of her as merely _the woman_, only that such a label no longer seems to fit – it occurs to him that she seems to be taking more care with her appearance tonight. Her hair has been left uncharacteristically loose, and she applies a balm to her lips with the same care he has seen past lovers applying cosmetics to theirs, to entice him. If he is not greatly mistaken, she is anticipating his arrival. He smiles slowly, savouring the anticipation. Frightening her had been most amusing, but this is a different sort of pleasure, and just as good.

Once she is settled into bed, he decides the time has finally come to stake his claim, and so he announces himself in a bright flash of light that is totally unnecessary, of course, but is sure to leave an impression on her. _Showmanship is very important in such a game, after all._

"Dr. Foster. _Jane_ Foster," he says in a low purr. "So nice to finally meet in person. I've been looking forward to this day." He smirks triumphantly, smug in the knowledge that he is about to win Thor's consort for his own nefarious purposes.

But he is distracted from this pleasing task by the narrow confines of Jane's miniscule dwelling. He expected as much, however, and has already scouted out a larger location in advance. With only a slightly exaggerated gesture, he magicks them both to the room he selected.

_This is not much of an improvement,_ he decides after looking around, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "These pathetic mortals have little idea how to live," he mutters to himself. But it matters not. The key thing is that there is much more space, and the bed, sad as it is, is large enough for two. It will serve.

When he turns his attention back to Jane, she looks afraid again, and at first it puzzles him anew. _Did she not expect this, does she not desire this very thing?_ No, he decides, surely she is only playing her assigned role, the terrified slave to her powerful captor.

He begins again, setting the stage for the little game they are about to play. "Where was I? Ah yes. I was going to say: You were made to be ruled, Jane Foster. You require a firm hand, and I am more than willing to accept the burden. I'm only too pleased to start here and now." He slides slowly closer and closer to her as he speaks.

He pauses to consider how they might proceed from this moment, the myriad different routes their passion might select. Making his choice, he gives her his first command. "Kneel before me!"

When she doesn't respond at all, except for her too-rapid breathing, he wonders if indeed he is in error. If this is true fear that he is witnessing, rather than convincing role-play. _Perhaps I have misread- _He crosses the last of the space between them, reaches out to touch her cheek gently. When she jerks back and trips over herself trying to escape him, Loki is reluctantly forced to conclude that yes, he had been sorely mistaken as to what she wanted from him. Perhaps he had even been wrong about her desiring him at all.

He catches the ugly table lamp before it can fall onto her. "Not fun," he mutters to himself, looking down at her. Yes, that is real fear in her eyes. How disappointing. But he wants to be _sure_. "Why do you cower? I thought you understood this game."

"Game? _Game?_" Jane snaps. "Monopoly, that's a _game_. Scrabble is a _game._"

He has no idea what she is speaking of, but yes, it is clear that things between them are not going to progress as he had envisioned. Truly, it has been too long since he has lain with a woman, if his ability to reasonably predict what one wants from him is so far off from the reality.

It is really unfortunate. He had been looking _so_ forward to this newest diversion. Now it seems it all must end. His need to frighten her no longer seems so entertaining; indeed her fear now only makes him feel vaguely regretful. She obviously wants nothing further to do with him, Thor will probably never learn what has transpired here, and Loki is wasting time that could probably be much better spent marshalling his defenses, lest Thanos and the Chitauri find him.

He looks down at her again, and she is angry now, clearly believing that he is only mocking her. "Don't be a dick. You come here and threaten me, you tell me that you have some kind of evil plans for me, then you yank me out of my home and dump me God knows where….and now you're _shocked_ that I'm scared? You _are_ crazy!" she snarls at him.

His amusement returns, but it is aimed solely at himself this time. Thank Yggdrasil that none of his fellow Asgardians (particularly Fandral and Volstagg, how they would never let him hear the end of it!) are here to see him fail at this attempted seduction so embarrassingly. He smiles down at her. "I had planned nothing that you would not have thoroughly _enjoyed_, Jane Foster," he explains, trying to get her to see the humour in all of this, though it is not clear to him why he is bothering to do so. He winks at her and pulls her to her feet, to show her he is not quite the monster she may think of him. _At least, not _that_ kind of monster, _he reminds himself, for a moment imagining that the hand he's wrapped around hers is stained Jotun blue.

She's still staring at him like she thinks he's fit to be chained, and he can hardly blame her for that – she would not be the only one, alas. "My sincerest apologies, Lady," he says, bending to press a courtly kiss to her hand, though the prankster in him cannot help but toss in the slightest of teases. He allows his tongue tip to sample just the smallest, quickest taste of one knuckle. After he straightens up, he adds: "Apparently, I have much to learn about Midgardian women." _Perhaps even_ all _women, at this rate_, he mocks himself silently.

He invites her to spend the night in the room, as he is sure that the bed here is a vast improvement over the one in her 'ale-barrel', then he sweeps her his most elegant bow, and takes his leave.

He lingers in the area for a few days afterwards, not really sure why he is doing so. He would rather not think about his enemies and what they did to him, and what they might do if they find him again, but it seems a better use of his time. So he manages to make himself examine what energies he might be able to make use of here on Midgard (few, it appears), and he comes up with a sketchy plan or two if he needs to escape Midgard quickly.

He even sneaks onto a SHIELD base once, just to see what they are up to, but other than the fact that they are not currently searching for him, he discovers nothing of use to him.

In truth, he has not much taste for planning these days. Thanos and his allies may or may not find him, and even if they do, will his plans even work? For all his plotting, Jotunheim still exists, and he is still outcast from Asgard. Even his little game with Jane failed astronomically, and he can't even place the blame on Thor this time. Perhaps he is not the strategist he believed himself to be. It is not a welcome notion.

The problem is that he has just too much time to _think_, and he would rather not ponder all that he has lost. If he is honest with himself (ah, the irony, honesty from the God of Lies), he feels the weight of loneliness all the more keenly now. If nothing else, his games with Jane had served well to distract him from that unpleasant fact, but it is over now, and there is nothing else to divert him from the unpalatable facts of his current situation.

It is tempting to visit her again, to watch her without her knowing, but he resists. Ultimately, it will be a waste of his magic and energy. And yet, he continues to linger in the area, never able to articulate to himself what is keeping him here. Midgard is certainly large enough; there is no reason for him to stay.

After more than a sevenday has passed, he is on the verge of deciding that this is indeed pure foolishness. He has wasted enough time on both pointless revenge and clumsy seductions, and there are things he should be doing before Thanos finds him (and he likely will). Just before he leaves, Loki stretches his senses out to encompass the city one final time, trying to determine if there is anything or anyone here at all that may be of use to him. He considers, and not for the first time, that he could somehow use Jane or Selvig (or both) to finish her fledgling Bifröst and then use it for his own purposes, but the thought does not really appeal to him. He has done enough to both of them, has he not? And there is no power source on Midgard strong enough now to power such a device, so it would be an entirely useless venture.

But then, he senses _her_ calling his name. Instantly, he materializes in her hollow metal abode, before he can think better of it, but he rapidly wraps himself in illusion, hiding from her. It does not surprise him that his next reaction is anger. He is not some cur, to come to heel when called.

When he decides to allow her to see him, he gets right to the point. "You summoned me. Explain yourself, woman." The brazen little vixen had best have a _good _reason for doing so.

"I want to know what changed your mind," she says, looking nervous.

"You dare summon me back for an _interrogation_?" He is tempted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it, but instead he steps threateningly towards her. _Foolish mortal. _He truly _should_ have punished her before.

When she stands her ground and insists, his anger cools to mere irritation. _Why am I surprised? _She has spirit, he knows it well. "From what to what?" he spits out, turning away from her. He doesn't dare hope-

"You were angry. And no matter what you say now, I think you did want to hurt me-"

"Who says I won't now?" Loki snarls at her, moving to stand right in front of her. He won't hurt her, he no longer wants to, but he is rapidly losing what little patience he possesses. Let her justify her actions, and quickly, and then he will depart this cheerless corner of Midgard for good, his curiosity exhausted.

"You won't," she says, and once more he reluctantly must admire the fact she has some meager intellectual capacity. "I think you did want to hurt me at first, but now you aren't going to. I want to know _why_."

The sheer impudence of her question only serves to increase his annoyance. He is sorely tempted to depart, to leave her to ponder the answer to that question herself, til the end of her all-too-brief days.

But finally, he decides that he can see no reason not to be truthful. He tells her about their mutual hate for Thor, about how they may be the only two beings in Yggdrasil who _do_ hate him…but he stops himself before he reveals too much. She has not earned the privilege.

By the end of his explanation, he is curious all over again. It seems a petty reason to risk his wrath, for her to call him back here, just to find out why he has no further interest in his previous mind-games with her.

So he returns to her and makes her meet his eyes. "I've answered your question, mortal, now you answer one of mine. Why did you summon me?"

There is a long pause, and then she says: "Because I wanted to."

He releases Jane and paces the room, considering. Perhaps he had _not_ been so far off in his estimations of what she desired. Just too heavy-handed in his approach? He decides to test that theory.

"What else do you want?" he asks her, putting a caressing edge in his voice. If she balks yet again, he promises himself, he shall magick himself instantly halfway around this world, and forget all this ever took place.

She pauses again, and seems to consider for a long moment. Finally, she admits: "I want to be yours."

_How unexpected._ The game is back on. He will just have to take a bit more care in his approach to her. She is more skittish than he anticipated, but perhaps he should have predicted that; the power differential between the two of them is wider than the gulf between Alfheim and Vanaheim.

She's trembling again, he notices, but if he compares it against her words, against the look in her eyes; it's desire, finally, for him. There's anxiety, of course, and that's to be expected, but he finds himself wanting to be sure; he wants to hear it from her lips, her consent to the bounds of their arrangement. "Then you _will _be. Mine, and mine alone. Do you understand?"

At her nod, he has to forcibly restrain his glee. He will prove himself worthy of her submission. And he will know not only the pleasure of being inside her, and of bringing pleasure forth from her, but also the pleasure of knowing that he has won Thor's favoured consort from him.

A worthy diversion, indeed.


	2. Embracing the Dark Ch 1

**Embracing the Dark (1/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: June 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: This particular part? I think it's PG-13 at most. The next two chapters will bring the (BDSM) smut, so those'll be Adult (18+). **

**Summary: After the Battle of Manhattan, Thor never returns from Asgard, and a threatening Loki starts appearing to Jane. What does he want with her? **

**Beta: A sincere thank you to my lovely and talented beta, canyr12. ****Loki demands that you kneel and compose hymns to her greatness****.**

**Disclaimer: I fantasize about owning Loki, does that count? **

**Author's note: I haven't read a single Avengers comic, so this is all from the 'Thor' and 'Marvel's Avengers' movie canon (and is spoilery for both).**

Later, she'll never remember all the exact details of how the sequence of events unfolded. Not with Loki, anyways.

With Thor, it's somehow easier to remember, to keep it all straight. Guy comes down from sky, girl hits guy with car (twice), guy turns out to be a Norse god, his evil god brother tries to level her town, and guy saves them.

Guy kisses girl, promises to return…

And nothing.

He never comes back.

At first, Jane isn't sure what's happened. The strange lights and storm-clouds spiraling in the sky, after Thor had returned to Asgard to take on Loki, hadn't looked anything like the original Einstein-Rosen events she'd seen up to that point.

When the noise and storm clouds and rainbow-hued lights had finally faded from the sky, she'd felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. When days passed and Thor hadn't come back, she was then certain the wormhole – Bifröst? – had been damaged somehow from his end. You didn't need to be a rocket scientist – and she wasn't, and boy, was she damned tired of explaining that to people! – to figure that out.

At first, she spends nearly every spare hour at her lab, trying to make the pieces fit. A month passes, then two, then four. The heartache spurs her on, along with probably enough caffeine to drown whatever's left of Puente Antiguo.

Finally, miraculously, she thinks she's figured it all out, but she needs a power source. A _major_ power source.

Out of the blue a new opportunity comes up for her, and she flies halfway to the middle of nowhere, working on a special project for SHIELD She's so isolated from the outside world, that it's a week after the so-called Battle of Manhattan before she even hears about it, and who has been involved. SHIELD has Erik be the one to tell her, as if somehow that will make it all OK that they lied, to get her out of the way.

Iron Man. The Hulk. Captain America. The names Erik lists seem to go on forever, and all meaningless to her, except for two.

Thor. Loki.

At first, she's only thinking about Thor. He'd been here, dammit, and he hadn't even bothered to say _hello_? Even after Fury explains to her the cost involved in getting Thor here to save the day, the anger remains.

Jane can accept that Odin wouldn't exert himself just to get Thor back to his mortal girlfriend. She can even accept Thor being focused entirely on stopping Loki and his alien army.

But once the battle had been won? Still nothing. From what she understands, Thor had immediately taken both Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. He hadn't waited even a fraction of a second, hadn't even picked up the goddamn _phone_.

That, she can't accept. If he'd used the Tesseract to come back, if he'd shown up a day or even a week later and explained what happened, it probably would have been enough. But days turn into weeks, and weeks into another month, and still nothing.

Adding insult to injury, her research is at a standstill. She knows now that the Tesseract was the only thing powerful enough to fuel her makeshift Bifröst, and SHIELD hadn't even bothered to let her know they had it. And now Thor has it, and it's out of her reach.

She's not usually an angry person, or she tries not to be, but there's so much betrayal in all this. SHIELD kept the Tesseract from her, Erik kept the Tesseract from her (though he, at least, has a legitimate excuse), and Thor, who seemed like such a gentleman, has forgotten her. _I give you my word, I will return for you_. Yeah, right.

She tries to keep on working, because there isn't much else left. She endures Darcy's pitying looks, she forgives Erik because he had been little more than Loki's puppet over the last several months, and he also seems genuinely sorry over what has happened. But she resolves that she'll never again do anything to help SHIELD, not after all the crap they've pulled.

So she's not sure when it all starts. Maybe two weeks after the Battle of Manhattan, or maybe three or four. She's still at the stage of trying hard not to be miserable, not to be hopeful that there'll be some kind of reprieve and she'll wake up one morning to find Thor standing outside her trailer.

It starts as a strange 'itch' between her shoulder-blades. A sensation like someone is watching her, but when she spins around, the lab is empty. Mom used to call that 'someone walking over your grave', but Jane has never felt anything as intense as this before.

The next time it happens, goosebumps break out all over her skin. She can't say why she feels it, but she's pretty sure what emotion her observer is feeling. It feels like _hate_.

When it begins to happen more frequently, on a daily basis, that's when she begins to feel uneasy, even afraid. One time it even feels like someone is breathing against her skin, her ear and neck, but of course there's nobody there once again.

Later, she'll think that it was around this time that she starts to suspect who her phantom audience is.

Then the sightings begin.

At first, she thinks she sees a man lurking in the background in Erik's office when she goes to see him. A man in a suit, with long-ish dark hair, and pale skin, but when she pushes Erik's door open, Erik's alone in the room. She forgets about it until later, as Erik distracts her, looking at her in a new way. The way that seems to silently say "Maybe it's not what you think. Maybe Thor didn't forget about you. Maybe he's coming back, as soon as he deals with whatever is keeping him away."

_I don't know what to think, _would have been her reply. But he never says it out loud, and soon Jane will have more pressing matters to deal with than her lost love.

She starts spotting the man everywhere, but always out of the corner of her eye. There he is, reflected in the window of the grocery store, standing across the street, looking right at her. But when she turns, of course he's not there.

She thinks she sees him standing among a crowd of people milling at an intersection as she drives by. Always just a flash, gone as soon she turns her head to be sure. Always the same man, with long black hair and pale skin.

She's not sure at first, though. She's never actually _seen_ Loki. Just that damned robot of his, burning her town to the ground. She hadn't _needed_ to see him, thank you very much.

The few pictures she'd seen of him since, from the battle, and from the bizarre events reported in Germany, did not leave her feeling better. Mostly blurry and out-of-focus, pictures taken mainly by shaken witnesses holding cell phones in even shakier hands, they nevertheless seemed to match her visions. Pale and dark and tall, and at that point, she does the only thing she can.

She's a research scientist, after all. So whenever she encounters something she can't understand, when the pieces of a puzzle are missing, she does what she does best: research. She goes to the library, she looks things up online. She borrows books from Erik, though she doesn't tell him why. At worst, he'll think she's losing it (and she's not so sure of that fact, herself), and at best…well, what 'best' is there? She's lost Thor, and now she thinks his evil brother is stalking her. Maybe. There's really nowhere else to go from there, is there?

What she finds out does little to reassure. Loki, father of wolves and serpents, and earthquakes. Oh, and eight-legged horses. A shapeshifter, and connected with the Norse version of Armageddon. A trickster god. A notorious womanizer, with three wives and countless goddesses notched into his bedpost. A god, and a devil.

No, not comforting at all. Still, it's easy at this point to pretend, to think that maybe it's just the stress. She's a scientist, someone who never believed in magic, and in the space of less than six months, everything she's ever believed has been turned on its ear. So maybe it's not so crazy that these events are happening to her. Maybe it's her frazzled mind, hearing strange noises and thinking that someone's in the room with her, glimpsing a new man in this small town and assigning evil intent to him where none exists.

When he starts to show up in her dreams, though, that's when Jane really begins to feel actual fear. In the first dream, he says nothing at all. She's lying on her bed in the tiny, cramped nook that passes for a bedroom in this tin can, and somehow there he is in the corner of the nook. It should not be physically possible for him to stand in front of that particular wall, not without getting jammed between it and the edge of her bed, but there he is. He's just standing there, glaring down at her, and she can practically feel the menace coming off him in waves. Gone is the suit, the dark tie and scarf. He's fully armoured now, all black and green and gold, leather and metal.

In the dream, she clutches the sheets around herself protectively, as useless as that is, but by the time she's finished the maneuver, he's already faded into nothing. She wakes up shuddering and shaking, and wonders who she can turn to for help. Even the Avengers can't save her from a dream.

Perhaps a week later, there he is again, and maybe he's standing just a fraction closer than the last time, even though she's sure that's impossible. She can't help thinking that he's rather like a cobra. Coiled in the non-existent corner of her bedroom, glittering darkly, beautiful and utterly deadly.

Still, she wants to be sure. She's made a lot of assumptions, and it's time to test her hypothesis. _Who are you?_

His lip lifts in a snarl. _Surely you know. Did you not spend hours in your precious library, reading all about my misdeeds?_

She's starting to shiver. He's been watching her, all right. It's a dream, she knows it is, but how long will it stay a dream? _Loki._

_The very same. _He sweeps her a mocking bow. _I told my brother that I would have to pay you a visit._

Her hands are icy. _Fine, you've come for a 'visit'. And now you can just go away again._

He laughs darkly, mockingly, shifting even closer somehow. _Why should I go? Thor isn't here to protect you from me, little mortal._

Shockingly, she's suddenly more angry than afraid. She's here dealing with this, and where is _he, _indeed? Where's her god of thunder now?

_Rub it in, why don't you?_ she retorts, angry and bitter. He blinks at that, looking vaguely surprised. But then his expression hardens again, and he dissolves in a swirl of silver-edged smoke.

Days pass. She continues to see – or thinks she sees - Loki lurking in the corners of her vision again, and once, there's again that sensation of hot breath curling across the side of her neck, but of course, that's all there is. A glimpse, a whisper of contact, and then nothing.

_How can you even be here?_ she demands the next time he appears. _Thor took you prisoner-_

_Think you that I am so easily held? _He leers at her. _What sort of trickster could I claim to be then?_ As usual, he flits away into nothingness and she wakes up with a jolt before she can think up a reply.

The next time he materializes and laughs mockingly at her, edging ever closer, she decides enough is enough. _Yeah, look at the big powerful god, threatening a defenseless woman, _she spits at him sarcastically, angry and afraid. Mostly angry, to her surprise. Maybe she's just getting tired of being the butt of someone else's joke.

He laughs even louder at that, a malicious light in his eyes. _I'm not threatening anything. I'm _promising_._

_Are you going to kill me? _She's not sure she wants to hear the answer, but it pops out of her dream-self's mouth before she has a chance to edit it out of existence.

_Kill you? No. Where would be the_ fun _in that?_ He's gone again.

Apparently, he's enjoying this chase, if she can call it that, far too much to end it anytime soon. And as the days pass, a truly bizarre thing begins to happen. She's afraid, yes, but also strangely…flattered? She can't remember a time in her life up until now, when she was ever the focus of a man's attention like this.

Not in high school. She wasn't a blonde, and she hadn't had big boobs. She'd been the typical nerdy kid, nose in a book, even wearing thick-rimmed glasses. Boys had barely glanced her way.

Even as an adult, the few boyfriends she'd had time for, they'd always had other things in their lives more important than her.

Case in point: Donald Blake, who'd also had far more important things to do than pay all, or even most, of his attention to one Jane Foster. She'd thought Thor would be different, he'd seemed so old-fashioned, so chivalrous. But apparently he had bigger fish to fry, too.

Fast forward back to now, and Loki's presence seems all around her now, every day. Either awake or in her dreams, even when she doesn't see him, she feels him there, and it's threatening, nerve-wracking. But there's also the strange feeling, almost of gratification, that someone is actually paying attention to her, focused entirely on her, for the first time that she can remember…._Christ, I'm going insane. Or is this some new form of mind-control of his? _She does her best to push the unwanted feelings aside_._

The next time he shows up in her dreams, he's towering over the side of her bed, the moonlight sliding caressingly along the ornate designs on his armour. Jane realizes she's less afraid of him now. He keeps showing up, but he hasn't _done_ anything except threaten and laugh. Maybe it's all talk. Rattle her cage, and see if Thor comes running? Maybe he's even in prison in Asgard, and this is all he can do.

_Why don't you tell the truth for once?_ she challenges him. _Why are you here?_

He smirks and leans down (even though there's not enough room for that), putting himself at her eye-level, placing both hands on her bed. _Watch your tone, mortal. _Small green snakes uncurl themselves from each of his wrists and drop down. They slither and slide over the dunes of her bedsheets, moving towards her. She's not the world's biggest fan of snakes, but she knows this is still a dream. Instead of panicking, Jane focuses on his face, on his eyes, though she can't help but notice they're the exact same shade as his snakes.

_Make no mistake, Jane Foster,_ he says softly. Somehow, he seems miles away, and yet still close enough that she can feel his breath on her face. _I'm a god, and you're nothing. I _could_ kill you. _

The snakes vanish, but Jane barely notices, too focused on Loki's face, the thin, midnight strands of hair falling over his forehead. _Then why don't you? And don't tell me it's more '_fun' _not to._

It's probably dangerous to push him, but it occurs to her suddenly that if he finds this…_whatever_ it is that's he's doing with her so amusing, that alone might guarantee her safety from him.

_I _could _kill you_, he repeats, leaning in even closer. _But I have a better idea. Instead, I'll make you mine. My slave. You're going to give me everything you gave _him, _and more. Far more._

It's so absurd that she's startled into laughing, and Loki, no doubt surprised to find a weak and puny mortal laughing at _him, _pulls away to his customary impossible location and goes back to glaring angrily.

_A kiss… was all… I gave him, _she elaborates between guffaws. She's not even sure why she finds this so funny. Maybe it's because Loki has obviously so greatly overestimated how close she and Thor had been. Maybe it's some kind of hysteria, her sanity finally cracking under the weight of all the crazy things that have happened. Maybe she just doesn't want to face the implications of the other things he just said (His _slave_?). It doesn't matter; she laughs until the tears stream down her cheeks, and through it all, Loki just stands and watches, his puzzlement becoming more and more obvious.

When her giggles finally subside, he's still standing there, much to her surprise. He's usually disappeared in his puff of silver smoke by now. She decides to go on the offensive. She's tired of her role as helpless plaything of the Norse gods. _If _you_ want a kiss, come and get it._ Usually she's awkward around men, unable to meet their gaze, often painfully shy. The more she's interested in someone, the worse it gets. Certainly, telling some guy to 'Come and get it, big boy?' That has never happened, never will likely happen in a million years, not in her real life. But this is a dream, not real life, and she isn't worried about embarrassing herself in front of Loki-

She doesn't see him move. One second he's there in the corner, and in less than an eyeblink he's right on top of her, straddling her on the bed, his face mere inches from hers. _I wouldn't tease, if I were you, Jane,_ he purrs, quiet and deadly. _You have no idea what I am capable of doing to you. _She hears snakes hiss, but she doesn't look away from him.

Her heart is racing, her blood pulsing in her veins. Is it just fear, or is it something more?

Speechless, she waits, wondering what comes next, what to say. Perhaps predictably, he spares her the trouble, dissolving away into smoke.

She jerks awake, and at first she's very confused, and almost embarrassed to realize how aroused she is.

It's insane, utterly insane. He's handsome, yes, but he's also a murderer, hatred personified, and probably missing a marble or three….not to mention the whole 'world domination' thing. Despite his words to the contrary, he'd probably be very happy to take her life the moment she crosses some arbitrary imagined line.

She keeps repeating these facts to herself over and over in the days that follow, but it doesn't change the feeling of warmth in her belly. _Definitely going insane._

In her lab, she stares at her whiteboard, gazes blankly at her computer screens, but she may as well be staring at the walls. She has a different equation to figure out now, one unrelated to astrophysics and alternative power sources for Einstein-Rosen bridges.

It takes a few days to figure this particular problem out, but once she finally admits the truth to herself, it makes more sense. The key problem: How someone so threatening and dangerous can in fact turn her on.

Reluctantly, she finally accepts the only solution that makes sense: If she's honest with herself, there's a part of her that's always been attracted to 'dangerous' men. The 'cool' boys who'd worn leather jackets and smoked behind the gym at high school, though none of them had given her a second look (and often, not even a first one). A boyfriend during her bachelor years who'd had enough tattoos to strip down to the skin, call himself an art gallery, and charge admission.

Even Dr. Donald Blake had worn a leather jacket and ridden a motorcycle, and before his interest in her had waned, one of the things she'd most enjoyed doing had been pretending to herself that he was rougher, darker than he'd actually been. It had only happened in her fantasies, though. Donald had turned out to be about as vanilla as they come.

Even Thor, though he hadn't exactly come across as _dangerous_, not with all the courtly hand-kissing and formalized speech. But he'd been a big man, a physically powerful man, a man with the potential to pick her up, overpower her, make her _his_.

More than just being with someone, deep down she realizes that she wants to feel desired, wants to be _taken _by someone. To feel for the first time that someone wants her that badly.

It sounds like a cheesy romance novel, once she finally puts it all together, but that doesn't make it any less true.

The worst of it is, that Loki fits the bill exactly. He's not some 'cut' caveman like Thor, but he's tall and broad-shouldered and not hard on the eyes, not at all, at least when he isn't looking at her like he wants to slice her into bloody ribbons.

Definitely not just a hint of danger.

_You have no idea what I am capable of doing to you._

No, she doesn't know. But the thing is, she thinks she wants to.

She gets herself ready for bed, wondering if he'll visit her again tonight. She finds herself looking critically at her camisole and boyshorts, almost wishing she had developed the habit of sleeping in something…well, sexier. She brushes her hair out and leaves it loose, instead of braiding it like she usually does. She stares at herself in the mirror, and wonders what the Hell has happened to her, sitting here and trying to pretend to herself that she's not preening like she's about to go on a first date.

Finally Jane climbs into bed, turns out the lights, and stares in the direction that he tends to appear in the most. After a few long minutes of silence and darkness, she shakes her head at herself, feeling like an idiot. _He probably won't even show up. Maybe he won't even show up again. _She's not sure which option she'd prefer, out of the many possible paths her experience with Loki could take from here.

She closes her eyes and pulls the sheets up to her chest. She allows herself to start to drift, unfocused images and fragments of Loki's face weaving across the backs of her eyelids.

Blinding light suddenly fills the room, and Jane gasps and sits up, hands clapped to her face to shield her eyes.

The light goes out, and she's in the dark again.

But not alone.

"Dr. Foster. _Jane_ Foster," the now-familiar voice purrs silkily, and it sounds just as intimidating as it did in her dreams. The light overhead suddenly snaps itself on, and when her eyes adjust, there he is, in the entrance of the sleeping nook, looming over her, smug and smirking.

It must be real. She can hear the leather creak as he shifts, taking a slow step forward. "So nice to finally meet in person. I've been looking forward to this day."

Oh God, her throat is so dry. The words he's said to her before whisper in her ears.

_I'll make you mine. My slave. You're going to give me everything you gave _him, _and more. Far more. You don't know what I am capable of doing to you._

Unless she can talk her way out of this mess, it looks like she's about to find out.


	3. Embracing the Dark Ch 2

**Embracing the Dark (2/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: June 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: There's BDSM-flavoured smut, so Adult (18+).**

**Summary: After the Battle of Manhattan, Thor never returns from Asgard, and a threatening Loki starts appearing to Jane….and now he's here in person. My smutty take on the whole 'Maybe when this is over, I'll pay her a visit' thing from 'Thor'.**

**Beta: A sincere thank you to my lovely and talented beta, canyr12. ****Loki demands that you kneel and compose hymns to her greatness****.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters. In fact, I'm pretty sure by this point that Loki owns ME (not that I mind)! **

**Author's note: I haven't read a single Avengers comic, so this is all from the 'Thor' and 'Marvel's Avengers' movie canon (and is spoilery for both). **

Jane wants to shrink back, get away from Loki, but there's nowhere to go. She's trapped. He leers at her, obviously enjoying the moment.

"But where _are_ my manners?" he says, his words so melodious she almost forgets to be afraid, even as he starts to shift even closer. "I am Loki of Asgard, and-" His shoulder bumps against the wall, and he pauses and glares darkly at the close confines of her trailer. "How do you survive in this ale-barrel of a dwelling?" he asks with contempt.

"It's more of a temporary living situation," Jane squeaks automatically, thinking how much more terrifying this situation is, compared to the last time she uttered those very same words to someone.

Loki shakes his head slowly. "Well, this won't do at all." The blinding light returns, threaded through with green lightning. It fills the trailer, her eyes and her her mind. Jane blinks frantically, but there's nothing to see but bright green haze and fog.

There's a mild jolt, and she finds herself standing on her own two feet. She still can't see anything, but she's not in her trailer anymore; she can feel carpeting under her bare feet. She rubs her eyes, willing them to clear, certain that Loki's going to grab her any second, but when her vision finally clears, he's standing across the room from her.

And it _is_ a room. It looks, in fact, like a motel room. There's the carpet, a bed right next to her with an ugly floral pattern on the covering, a television on a battered table in the corner. Loki is studying their surroundings, an obvious expression of disgust on his face. After a long moment he shakes his head and mutters something Jane doesn't quite catch, something about mortals having no clue how to live, but then he's walking towards her again, and Jane starts looking for an escape route. Oh crap, the door is behind Loki, she'll have to get by him somehow to escape-

"Where was I?" he asks, his customary smirk reappearing. "Ah yes. I was going to say: You were made to be ruled, Jane Foster. You require a firm hand, and I am more than willing to accept the burden." He edges ever so slowly closer and closer, and Jane feels almost hypnotized by his motions, by the rhythm of his words. "I'm only too pleased to start here and now." He stops, far enough away that Jane would _just_ be able to touch him if she stretched out her hand. Jane's heart pounds, and she can feel sweat starting to roll down her sides.

Loki looks her straight in the eye, his eyes blazing. "Kneel before me!"

Jane can't move. Hell, she can barely catch her breath. She can't remember a time when she's been this afraid. Had she really looked forward to _this_? What the Hell is the matter with her?

_Do what he says, before he hurts you,_ her brain gibbers at her, but her knees are locked and nothing happens. Her body won't obey her, let alone _him_.

He frowns, and although Jane is no expert at reading facial expressions, he seems almost surprised. He takes another half step forward, and he's too close, way too close to her now, he seems to be swallowing all the light and air in the room, and Jane wonders almost absently if she's about to faint.

His hand brushes her cheek, lightly, but Jane suddenly finds herself able to move after all, jerking away as if he's burned her. The side of her thigh hits the edge of the night-table and, predictably, she both knocks a lamp over, and trips and falls on her ass. _Undignified, as always._ _Looks like I'll die the way I lived,_ she thinks bitterly.

The lamp is doing its best to roll off the night-table, but Loki catches it, his frown deeper now. He sets it back in its place, then looks down at her.

"Hm, _not_ fun," he mutters, or at least, that's what she thinks she hears. It's hard to be sure, over the pounding of the blood in her ears. _He sure has a fucked-up sense of what is 'fun',_ Jane can't help thinking. His eyes meet hers again. "Why do you cower? I thought you understood this game."

_What?_ "Game? _Game?_" Jane retorts, her voice rising. She clenches her fists. "Monopoly, that's a _game_. Scrabble is a _game._"

Loki cocks his head, the confusion obvious. He must be mocking her, being deliberately obtuse. "Don't be a dick," she sputters. "You come here and threaten me, you tell me that you have some kind of evil plans for me, then you yank me out of my home and dump me God knows where….and now you're _shocked_ that I'm scared? You _are_ crazy!"

He smiles, and it's surprisingly disarming. "I had planned nothing that you would not have thoroughly _enjoyed_, Jane Foster." He winks – actually winks! – and then reaches down and effortlessly pulls her to her feet.

This 'game' of his doesn't make sense to Jane. Or does it? She's not sure how she thought this would go, but it isn't unfolding in any way she could have envisioned.

His hand is very large and warm around hers, his grip looser now. He's still smiling, but it's oddly gentle, almost regretful. "My sincerest apologies, Lady." Loki bends over and presses soft lips to the backs of her fingers, though he seems to linger longer than necessary. When he straightens up, the smirk is firmly back in place. "Apparently, I have much to learn about Midgardian women."

Jane opens her mouth, but can't think of a single thing to say. She's still trying to figure out what exactly is going on here.

Loki glances around. "It's a sad little room, but marginally better than your 'temporary living situation'. Enjoy it for the evening, with my compliments." He releases her hand, finally, backing away and tipping her a little bow, one that reminds her all too easily of Thor. "Fare thee well, Dr. Foster."

She blinks, and he's gone. No light or fanfare, just gone.

It takes her an hour to stop shaking.

_Good riddance_, she tells herself. Repeatedly.

She leans over her pages of calculations, Darcy's voice droning on in the background as she describes some new boytoy of hers. Jane isn't hearing a single word, though she manages to make approving noises during the brief lulls in Darcy's monologue.

Not wanting to risk angering Loki, she'd spent the rest of the night in that room, and sadly, yes, it _had_ been more comfortable than her own tiny bed. Although she'd worried that he might show up again, attacking her in her sleep, finally she'd been too exhausted to resist going to bed. In the end, all her fears had been for nothing - nothing had happened.

She remembers also being a bit afraid of what she would find when she left the motel room. Had Loki teleported her halfway around the world from Puente Antiguo? But she'd recognized the place's owner when she'd finally worked up the nerve to leave the room and go downstairs, and it turned out he had merely transported them to the town's single motel. Jane had never stayed at the motel before, so she hadn't recognized it at first, and she hadn't even thought to look out the room's single window to identify where she was. Even more surprising, Loki had somehow arranged to pay the bill! The whole thing was bizarre.

But now it's been over a week, and Loki has vanished from her dreams, from her life. She's no longer feeling his presence, no longer seeing him at the edges of her vision. She should be ecstatic, right?

Except she isn't. It's like a pebble in her shoe, bugging her as she tries to get her life back to normal. Even now, she can close her eyes and picture him, the predatory grace with which he moved. She can hear his voice in her head like some kind of strange music.

It's completely insane. She should be throwing herself an 'I'm-free-of-Loki' party. But the truth is, she's curious. A necessary quality for a scientist, but maybe not so much here. She keeps wondering where his 'game' would have ended up. _Nothing I wouldn't have thoroughly _enjoyed_?_ It sounds like so much macho bullshit, when she repeats it (over and over) to herself like that, but then again, he obviously believed it. _The myths say he's a womanizer,_ she reminds herself. _That suggests he does know how to please a woman. Doesn't it? _

Her traitorous memory keeps returning to the way his fingers had felt, wrapped around hers. She finds herself flexing her hand at odd moments, remembering the feel of his kiss. The way his lips had brushed so lightly against her skin, just before settling down to the business of kissing, and – although maybe her befuddled brain is totally making this all up – had there perhaps been just the tiniest touch of the tip of his tongue against her knuckle, before he'd pulled away?

Jane keeps thinking that kiss on her hand was almost like an advertisement: This is what my lips feel like on your hand. Imagine what my kiss might feel like….on other parts of you. And Jane is doing her best to _not_ think about that. Failing miserably at it, yes, but doing her best.

In short, it's all driving her crazy. She finds herself looking for him constantly, feeling disappointed when he's never there.

Finally, she decides that she's reached her limit. Which leads to a new problem: How is she going to contact him, exactly? Nokia doesn't have trans-dimensional long-distance to Asgard. If Loki's even there.

Of course, this inevitably leads her to realize that she has the exact same problem with Thor: she can't contact him, can't find out why he broke his promise to her. But Jane soon pushes all Thor-related thoughts out of her mind. Things with Loki are complicated enough already, and she doesn't need to add guilt into the picture. Not that she's sure what she has to feel guilty about.

Instead, she forces herself back to the problem at hand, which is contacting Loki. It occurs to Jane that maybe, in fact, Loki is still here on Earth. Maybe he's even still in New Mexico. He obviously can make her see him, sense him, if he wants her to, so is it possible that he can make her _not _see him, even when he is there? She hopes so, because that's the only way her plan will work.

Her next problem is the venue. He hadn't been impressed by her trailer, but the motel room hadn't been a vast improvement. She lives out in the middle of nowhere, though, and she's not sure she wants to drive for hours, find a place, and then have him not show up. Besides, if he _is_ still watching her, wouldn't her best bet to contact him be in the place where she saw and interacted with him the most?

Besides, it's familiar territory, and right now a bit part of Jane feels she needs that. She wants this, but it kind of scares her, too. She's never done anything like this before, and she thinks she needs all the familiarity, all the safety, that she can get.

Finally, there's the small matter of…well, what to wear, as silly and girly as that is. Jane decides she wants to send a message this time, but she has nothing really sexy in her underwear drawer. Again, she'd have to drive for miles just to find a place to buy something. She looks at a few online vendors, but imagining herself wearing this or that scrap of lace seems really…not her. Had Loki even seemed to care about that? In the end, she decides she should just be herself. Trying to dress up like some sultry seductress is not her, and it seems like a good way to just increase her natural awkwardness.

When she decides she's ready to attempt contact, the butterflies in her stomach multiply until she can't focus on anything else. Erik asks her if she's feeling OK, and Darcy gives her strange looks, so Jane makes excuses and heads out to the trailer early, cooking a supper that she can barely swallow, and she waits for the sun to set.

She stands outside the trailer for a few long moments, staring up at the stars, wondering if Loki is up there, and if he'll hear her.

When she climbs into bed, dressed in a camisole and panties, she's shaking all over again, but this time it's nervous energy and excitement. Which is ridiculous, really, when she stops and considers _who_ she's excited about, but this stopped making logical sense a long time ago, and Jane figures she's just going to roll with it.

_Here goes._ "Loki," she says out loud. She prays hard that he _is_ here, that he'll hear her somehow.

Nothing. She says his name again, louder. More nothing.

Her heart sinks, and she's starting to feel like an idiot. If she yells at the top of her lungs, will someone hear her? Will they think she's lost it?

"Loki!" she calls, almost as loud as she can yell. That's all she can manage to do, without feeling even more stupid.

More nothing happens again, and Jane curses and climbs out of bed. _Stupid. This whole thing is stupid. He's gone, _long_ gone, and why do I want this so bad, anyways? _

She stomps into the kitchen and opens the fridge, bending down to lift the milk out of the bottom of the crammed door. Maybe if she drinks some warm milk, it'll help her sleep. Tomorrow, maybe she'll think of something else. Or, maybe she'll drop this whole crazy idea.

As she straightens up and shuts the fridge, something shifts at the edge of her vision. Loki is there, standing in the entrance to the sleeping nook. Watching her. Startled, Jane yelps and drops the milk. The carton manages not to break, and that's the first stroke of good luck she's had. Or rather, the second: Loki did answer her call, after all.

He's in his armour still, his arms folded over his chest, and one eyebrow is raised as he watches her scoop up the deeply dented milk carton and shove it into a cabinet. Jane wrenches her eyes off him, nervous all over again. _Something's wrong. Oh-_ "Oh wait, that doesn't go there-" She bites her lip and retrieves the milk, returning it to the fridge.

"You summoned me," Loki says without preamble. "Explain yourself, woman." He looks angry, and Jane tries not to shiver.

Jane has rehearsed this in her mind about a hundred times over the last couple of days, and decides to go with her preferred opening gambit: "I want to know what changed your mind."

"You dare summon me back for an _interrogation_?" he voice shifts to a hiss and he takes a long step towards her, but Jane squeezes her fists shut and holds her ground.

"I want to know what changed your mind," she repeats.

He rolls his eyes. "From what to what?" he asks irritably, turning away from her and studying the mugs in her dishrack with more attention than seems warranted.

"You were angry. And no matter what you say now, I think you did want to hurt me-"

"Who says I won't now?" he snarls, and then he's standing right in front of her, looming over her. Christ, he's tall.

"You won't," Jane says, though she's not really sure why she's so sure of that. Somehow, her voice isn't shaking. She looks him pointedly in the eyes. "I think you did want to hurt me at first, but now you aren't going to. I want to know _why_."

He laughs and turns away from her again. "You don't know me well enough to feel so assured of my clemency."

Jane folds her arms and tries out her own glare against him. "Answer the damned question."

He stalks around the narrow confines of her kitchen, looking anywhere but at her. "Fine," he says finally, gazing out a window, rather than at her. "Hate."

Jane blinks, not expecting that reply, and not understanding it, either. "What?"

"Hate," he repeats, looking over at her and smirking again. He obviously enjoys being cryptic. "You hate Thor. For abandoning you. Not, perhaps, as much as I hate him, but it's something. Everyone in Asgard loves that dull idiot, they're all too stupid to see how irresponsible a king he would make. Whereas they treat _me_ like-" He stops, shaking his head.

"Anyways, I think you Midgardians say, 'mine enemy's enemy is my friend', so," he shrugs. He walks back in front of her, and cups her chin in his hand, pulling her face up until he can look her in the eyes. "I've answered your question, mortal, now you answer one of mine. Why did you summon me?"

Jane's not sure what to say, exactly, and it's hard to think when he's this close to her. Her brain wants to focus instead on the feeling of his warm hand, the scent of leather, the colour of his eyes….

Finally, she decides to follow his lead: Be cryptic. "Because I wanted to," she says. Let him puzzle that out. Besides, it's the truth.

He lets go of her and paces slowly around the perimeter of the kitchen again, obviously thinking over her answer. His elbow catches the edge of the dishrack, almost knocking it off the counter, and Loki tsks and straightens it.

He turns to face her. "What else do you want?" he finally asks in a low voice, one that seems to slip caressingly down her spine.

Jane's not sure what to say. She's never been good at this part, at just coming out and telling someone what she wants and needs, period. Never mind in the bedroom, which is where she thinks this is bound to wind up.

In the end, she just says what she thinks he wants to hear: "I want to be yours." Maybe he'll see it as a cop-out, maybe he wants her to talk dirty, to be _very_ specific about what she wants him to do to her, and how. But again, she's saying only the truth. _If that even matters to a God of Lies._

He gives her a long, intent look. "Then you _will _be. Mine, and mine alone. Do you understand?"

She nods, and the green light comes, washing out her vision, but she expects it this time, almost relaxing into it. It seems to take longer than before, and it feels like they are indeed going farther away this time.

The new room they wind up in is definitely a big improvement. _Got to be a penthouse room,_ Jane thinks. The bed is huge, the windows are wall-to-wall, and there's a beach miles away. Oh, and it's daytime. Just how far did he bring her?

But Loki's standing in front of her again, and Jane doesn't have time to think about the practicalities, not anymore. He moves forward, slowly and inexorably herding her backwards, until her back is to the wall and there's nowhere left to escape to. Not that she has any plans in that direction. She feels dwarfed by him, and finds herself unable to look into his eyes. "I'll be taking that kiss now," he says at last, a rasping note on the edge of his voice.

He picks her up like she weighs nothing (to him, she probably doesn't), leaning in and pressing her back against the wall. Her feet dangle helplessly, and she clutches at his armour, wrapping one hand around the belt slung over his right shoulder, and the other hand around the green lapel of his…whatever it is. Dreamily, Jane thinks that the first thing she should do when she gets home, is educate herself on what the different parts of his armour are called.

His leather-clad thigh shoves roughly between hers, holding her up and pinning her in place, his hands on her ribs, fingers moving in small circles against her sides. She wonders if he can hear how fast her heart is beating.

Loki licks his lips slowly, making sure she witnesses it, and then he leans in, but some impulse makes Jane turn away slightly, so that his mouth ends up on the edge of her jaw. She feels him grin against her, his breath heating her skin, and she shudders. He nips her, then moves lower, and Jane feels sharp teeth on her neck. She clutches tighter at his armour, gasping.

He laughs darkly, sending shivers through her. "Making me work for it, are you? Foolish woman." His hands come up and seize her wrists, raising her arms high above her head and pinning them to the wall. Jane squeezes her thighs around his, writhing, unable to stop herself. Part of her wants to conceal how much she's enjoying this, though she's not sure why.

But Loki notices, of course. Jane doesn't think much gets by the God of Mischief. Especially not if he can use it to his advantage. He shifts his grip, trapping her wrists in one large hand. His other hand slides down her arm in a soft caress, and then he wraps his fingers in her hair. He's gentle at first, but once he's taken up the slack, his grip turns forceful, pulling her face back towards his.

His kiss is rough, urgent, and though there's a brief moment of discomfort when his teeth scrape against hers, Jane doesn't care. He tastes like salt and iron, and a bit like wine. She wonders if he likes the flavour of her toothpaste. She doesn't think anyone has ever kissed her like this, so passionately and thoroughly. Like he can't get enough of her. His tongue is like a snake, slipping over her tongue, caressing along the backs of her teeth, and Jane squeezes her thighs around his again. Her nipples harden in anticipation as his hand leaves her hair, fingertips tracing down the side of her neck, along her collarbone, and then down to the top edge of her camisole.

He breaks the kiss, and Jane drags in a ragged breath. She feels something move against her wrists, but it doesn't feel like his hand. She looks up, her breath catching when she realizes there's a snake, a _real_ snake, gliding from Loki's wrist, slipping around both of hers.

"What are you-?" Jane gasps.

He laughs, and it sounds positively evil. His free hand continues its journey down, stopping and squeezing her nipple sharply through the fabric of her camisole, and Jane arches her back and moans, almost forgetting about the snake. "I'm merely making sure I have both hands free to torment you with," he purrs roughly into her ear.

Jane feels the snake wind itself firmly around her wrists, two, three times, then there's another green flash of light in the room. It leaves purple after-impressions on her vision, but when she blinks them away and looks up, she sees that the snake has turned itself into some kind of thick snakeskin cuff. A hook that Jane is positive hadn't been there on the wall before has also popped into being, and Loki wastes no time hooking the homemade cuff onto that. Jane realizes she is totally at his mercy.

"There," Loki continues, gloating. "I enjoy listening to the sounds you make when you surrender to me." He pulls hard at the top of her camisole, and both straps tear like they are made of paper. He pulls the fabric down to Jane's waist, and she can't help squirming, feeling completely exposed.

He kisses her again, his tongue pushing hard into her mouth, both hands cupping her breasts, though he doesn't touch her nipples. But she can feel his armour against them as he presses closer, the leather rubbing oh so slightly against her sensitive nipples, and she moans again, into his mouth, trying not to dig her fingernails into her own palms.

He breaks the kiss, and looks down, watching her body's response when he does touch her, firmly squeezing and tugging on her stiff nipples. Jane bites her lip and throws her head back as much as she can, twisting her head against her trapped arms, thighs flexing helplessly around the iron muscle of his leg. She's sure that she's leaving wet marks on his thigh. "Oh God," she gasps, not even aware what she's saying.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for noticing," he mocks, before scraping his teeth along her neck. Jane swallows another gasp as he slides his hands under her thighs, lifting her up off his leg. The tension in her bonds somehow doesn't change, there's no room for escape, as he lifts her high enough that he can bend his dark head to her breast. Jane tenses, somehow sure that he's going to nip, and she's not sure if she wants him to or not, or how hard.

He doesn't, but he sucks on her almost hard enough to hurt. But it's a _good_ hurt, and Jane squirms again, very conscious of how close his hands are to discovering just how aroused she is. Loki accords her other nipple the same attention, then pulls away, blowing lightly on her moist skin, chuckling as she continues to squirm and moan. It seems to be all she can do, but if he's enjoying her responses, maybe it's not something Jane should be worrying about.

Jane bites her lip, trying not to beg him not to stop, as he lets her back down onto his leg, her bonds again seamlessly adjusting. His hands slide slowly up her thighs. "You won't be needing this rag any longer," he growls, his fingers slipping under each side of her panties, tracing small circles over her hot skin. She can't see exactly what he's doing, his broad shoulders are blocking her view, but she feels a sharp tug and hears a tearing sound. Jane shuts her eyes, feeling him pull the last of her meager protection away. She's totally exposed, totally naked, and completely helpless.

"Look at me," Loki snarls, and Jane looks into his eyes, which seem more blue than green right now. His hands are on her again, shifting her so that she's no longer resting on his leg, but with her thighs splayed wide, his hands cupped under each of her knees.

Small beads of sweat glimmer on his face and neck, and Jane doesn't know how he can stand wearing all that leather; she's completely naked and yet she feels like she's going to go up in flames any second. She's even more certain of that when he hooks his thigh back under one of her knees, then slides his hand right between her legs.

Jane gasps at the contact, his fingers slipping sensuously against her folds. She can feel how slick she is, and she can't help shuddering and moaning all over again. Loki leans in, his hair brushing softly against her face like raven's feathers. "You're so wet…your body knows it's master, I see," he says in a low voice. Jane blushes and bites her lip, not sure what to say, or even if a reply is necessary. His fingers slip inside her, invading her, stretching her, his tongue circling her earlobe.

Jane doesn't know how many of his fingers are inside her, only that his movements soon become rough and fast, thrusting hard in and out of her. Then he's licking the side of her neck, and at the end of every thrust of his hand, his thumb is pushing hard against her aching clit, and within seconds there's nothing she can do except throw her head back and ride his hand, panting hard and trying to remember to _breathe_.

She's right on the edge when his thrusts become deliberately slow, and she can feel him grinning against the side of her neck. "Beg me, Jane," he purrs, laughing as her hips buck, trying to get him to move faster again. "Convince me, and I might just allow you to experience the heights of your pleasure."

_Might? _Jane hopes that's just another of Loki's empty threats. She licks her dry lips, tries to get her throat to work. "Please." The word _Master_ won't come out, though she tries hard, because Loki would probably respond well to that, megalomaniac that he is. But it just won't come out. Blame it on her inner militant feminist.

"What?" he asks, mockingly. His fingers slide out of her a little, and Jane moans and tries to pull her legs together, trap him inside her, but he's too strong and she can't move.

"Please," she tries again, and then, on sheer instinct. "Please, _Loki._"

"Much better," he growls approvingly, and he sinks his teeth into the side of her neck. Jane yelps, but it turns into a gasp as his fingers shove deep inside her again, and he whips her right back to the precipice with a speed that nearly kills her.

"Yessss," he hisses encouragingly in her ear, and she goes over the edge, her muscles spasming helplessly, biting her lip so she won't scream. When it's all over, her head drops heavily forward, her forehead resting on Loki's shoulder for a moment. His fingers withdraw slowly from her, her inner muscles reluctant to let him go. It's been awhile, a long while, and even taking that into account, Jane doesn't think it's ever been as good as this. "Thank you," she says, almost without realizing she's saying it.

"I don't recall saying that I was done with you yet," he mocks, right into her ear. He releases her and backs away entirely, and for a moment she's hanging limply against the wall, her wrists taking her full weight. Sluggish, it takes her an eternity to realize what he just said.

Her bonds dissolve without warning, and Jane slides down the wall, but before she can pitch bonelessly to the floor, Loki catches her, moving like a striking snake. He lifts her in his arms, and then effortlessly, almost casually, tosses her onto the huge bed.

Jane clears her throat, tries to get her arms and legs to work properly, but they are putting up a good show of resistance. "I need a minute," she tries to explain to him. "You may be a god, but I'm not, and if you want me to be able to do anything, I need some recovery time."

He stands by the bed, not looking at her, too busy stripping off the outermost layer of his armour, but after he casts it aside, he runs his hand through his hair, messing it up in an endearing way, and turns towards her.

Loki shakes his head, the familiar teasing smirk gracing his face again. "I don't require you to do anything." He grasps her hips and pulls her to the edge of the bed, then he kneels down on the floor, letting her legs drape over his arms. The smirk becomes a leer. "Except come for me. Again."

He licks a wet path up her thigh, and Jane digs her nails into the quilt. It's too soon after her first orgasm, she's too sensitive, but he's got her hips in a grip strong as iron, his broad shoulders keeping her legs far apart. She can't pull away, can't escape the almost too-intense pleasure washing over her. Jane clutches at his shoulders, digging her nails into the leather, but he only pauses for a moment. His eyes laugh at her. "People are always telling me I have a silver tongue," he remarks.

It's only a brief respite, though. Her hips buck helplessly under his hands as his tongue goes back to circling her clit, around and around in agonizing circles. When he sucks on it, she bites back a squeal and tangles her fingers in his hair, but he's not having any of that.

Grinning evilly, he grabs her wrists again, pulling her hands from his hair and pinning them to her belly all too easily with one hand. "You're not in control, my dear," he chides her mockingly. It loses a little sting when his mouth and chin are shiny with her juices, though. Then he's back to his ministrations between her legs, one hand and his forearm keeping her thighs wide apart.

It's too much, the pleasure right on the edge of becoming pain, and this time she _does_ scream. Loudly.

When Jane can get her eyes to focus again, Loki's standing over her, slowly wiping his chin with the palm of his hand. _Christ, is he done? I don't think I can handle another-_

He laughs softly, looking down at her, but he doesn't seem to be laughing at her. "My dear brother should have taken you when he had the chance. Fool. Instead, I am the one who gets to enjoy all you have to offer." Deliberately holding her gaze, he licks his palm in a way that probably would turn her on all over again….if she hadn't just had two intense orgasms. He leans down over her, a mock serious expression on his face, his voice dropping lower, like what he's about to say next is meant to be a private matter, just between Jane and himself: "Though for the record, from what I understand from the gossip, let us say that his abilities in the bedroom are not as expert as my own. Mjölnir may help him win battles against foes, but not many battles between sheets!" he laughs, obviously pleased with himself. 

_This jealousy of Thor can't be healthy,_ Jane thinks. She'll have to talk to Loki about it. Just…not now.

He's still wearing most of his armour, and the incongruity of it suddenly hits Jane like a bucket of ice-water. "Are you going to take all that stuff off? How are you not dying of heat right now?" He's definitely sweating, and perhaps there's even a pale flush of colour in his cheeks. Jane finds it a bit comforting, though, that he's enough like mortals to at least sweat.

Loki's eyes darken, and the commanding expression returns to his face. "Silence," he rasps. He reaches down, grabbing her by the shoulders and rolling her roughly over onto her belly. "I did not give you leave to speak," he chides her coldly, but before she can be tempted to backtalk him, there's a rustle of cloth, and then he's jerking her up onto her knees, and she can feel the hot length of him pressing against her thigh.

_There's something I'm forgetting,_ Jane realizes suddenly. _Something important….oh crap! _"Wait!" Jane says, trying to shift away from him.

His hands tighten around her hips, preventing any escape, and Jane twists around to look back at him over her shoulder. He's looking at her like he can't believe she's stalling. "I rather think," he opines with deceptive mildness, "that I have more than earned the right to-"

"It's not that," Jane interrupts him. She doesn't know if Asgardians and Midgardians can breed, but she's not about to risk her career to find out. "I- I do want you to. But we need _protection_."

His eyebrows practically disappear into his hairline. "Protection? What nonsense is this? My brother, as you have no doubt noticed, is not here to….interrupt us." His voice shifts into a low growl, and he pulls her hard against him, grinding his erection into the back of her thigh. "And there is no force in Yggdrasil that will protect you from _me_."

"It's a human -_Midgardian_- thing," Jane explains quickly. "It's called a condom. We use it to prevent pregnancy. There's at least one in my trailer….at home. Oh crap." _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ This is either going to ruin the mood totally…or maybe Loki isn't going to oblige her, a thought which makes her hands go cold. Why didn't she think of this earlier? She thought of everything else-

Loki lets go of her, clearly aggravated, then disappears in a green flash. He's back again almost as quickly, between one heartbeat and the next, tossing a box on the bed. "I trust these will do." It's not the brand she uses, so he must have hit up a pharmacy in the area.

"Those should be fine," Jane says. She can't help noticing that he didn't bother to zip up before leaving, and she hopes he didn't give some poor human the shock of their lives. _At least he's still, um, _excited_._

"Good," he says, twisting a handful of her brown hair around his hand. He uses his grip on her hair to pull her face towards his, until he can speak directly into her ear. "But I'm going to make you pay dearly for delaying my pleasure, woman," he continues in a hiss that makes her shiver. He gestures at the box. "Be quick about it."

Jane swallows a little nervously as she rolls the condom onto him_. Pay dearly? _He'sstill wearing most of that damned armour, and it's becoming obvious that he has no intention of stripping down totally for her.

When Jane is done, he releases his grip on her hair. "Now get on your knees, and face away from me." She does, and he makes her wait on all fours for what seems like forever, before his hands grasp her shoulders and push her face and upper body down into the mattress, pulling her hands tightly behind her back.

She doesn't expect him to start by pushing slowly into her, millimeter by millimeter, but Loki obviously is enjoying every second of it, to judge by his laughter. He pulls out just as slowly, and it soon becomes evident that he's intent on teasing her this way for quite a long while.

Jane groans and tries to push back against him, tries to speed things along, but he laughs off her efforts at first, continuing the same easy, tormenting pace, his free hand reaching around to press lightly on her nipple.

"How soon you forget, Jane," he reminds her finally. "You know what you have to do."

_Christ, this again. On the other hand, the orgasm score right now is Jane: 2, Loki: 0, so I suppose if he wants this- _"Please, Loki, I'm begging you, stop teasing me!" Jane's voice cracks embarrassingly, and she presses her face against the sheets to hide her blush. But it works; he rewards her by thrusting harder and faster inside her, hitting all the right spots over and over.

Jane thinks she'll just die of frustration if he slows down or stops again, so she doesn't hold back, continuing to beg him, until he's moving so fast and rough inside her that she can't catch her breath, and as his fingertips find her clit and start massaging it, that's all it takes for Jane. _Make that_ _Jane: 3, _is her last coherent thought.

As she starts to come down from her orgasm, Loki suddenly stops moving, and she can feel him pulsing inside her as he finally gives in. He gasps over and over, and she realizes it's the first time in their whole encounter that he's allowed himself to give up control like that. She thinks she could get used to hearing him make those sounds.

He is withdrawing from her, releasing her wrists, and Jane collapses onto the bed, everything becoming a green-tinged haze, before she surrenders to total exhaustion.

She doesn't know how long she's out for, but she wakes back in her trailer, tucked into her bed, still naked. Aching in all the deliciously right places. And alone. Apparently Loki's affections (if Jane can bring herself to call it that) do not extend to post-sex cuddling. Or at least, not yet. Jane's a little disappointed, but in the end she decides that she's feeling too satisfied to stay annoyed at him. She stretches lazily, and goes back to sleep, too sated to do otherwise.

Later, when she finally gets up and notices the red bitemarks on her neck, that's when the doubts start to creep back in. He bit her, he marked her…should she be bothered by this? And he left without saying goodbye, or anything else. Is she even going to see him again, or was this the Asgardian version of a one-night stand?

But when her gaze falls on a SHIELD folder lying on her tiny, cluttered kitchen table, then reality really comes crashing back in. It had been one thing when Loki was only in her dreams, or lurking in the edges of her waking life like a mirage, but now he's here in reality. She may be safe from him – maybe – but what about everyone else? Will Loki try to take some kind of revenge on Erik, on the Avengers? Does he have some new plan to take over the Earth and bend everyone to his will, and she's just some treat on the side that he'll reward himself with, after a good (bad?) day of misdeeds?

It worries her enough to make her pick up the phone, but her hand freezes mid-dial. What is she going to tell Director Fury, exactly? "Loki is here." _Yes? How do you know, Dr. Foster?_ "Well, Director, that's because he fucked me five ways from Sunday mere hours ago."

Oh yeah, that'll go over _real_ well. She isn't exactly happy with SHIELD lately, but they _are_ helping her with her research. If they find out that she's sleeping with Loki, will they take all her life's work from her again? Will they brand her a traitor and lock her up? It makes Jane shake just thinking about it. _Why didn't I think this through before? _It makes her wonder if Loki really is mind-controlling her somehow, to make her forget how potentially dangerous he is. However, she's sure, in her heart, that it's not true. She's in her own right mind, even if her 'right mind' seems to be making crazy decisions these days.

She agonizes about it for several days, all the while wondering if Loki will even return to her again. He certainly hadn't indicated that he was going to be coming back anytime soon. Or maybe he's waiting for her to summon him again? If that's the case, and she never does, maybe he never will reappear, and her problems with SHIELD will basically never become an issue. She can't warn the government about plans she knows nothing about, right?

The other side of the coin worries her even more, though. That one is: if she does warn SHIELD….what will _Loki _do, if he finds out? He'll probably see it as a betrayal, and this time he really _will_ kill her. Probably slowly and painfully.

Jane feels trapped between a wall and an immovable object.

Finally, she makes a compromise with herself. As long as Loki doesn't threaten anyone specific, or mention any specific plans to destroy or invade her planet, she won't admit to anyone that he's here. It sucks, it makes her feel like a traitor, but the truth is that she still wants him, and she will summon him back – and soon, if he doesn't just turn up on his own – and she just can't let this go. She's never been with anyone like him, and may never be again, and she wants to see where this ends up.

God help her.


	4. Embracing the Dark Ch 3

**Embracing the Dark (3/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: July 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating/ Warnings: BDSM-flavoured smut, so Adult (18+). And, just in case, I should probably mention that there's…snake!porn. Yeah. I'm definitely going to Hell…**

**Summary: After the Battle of Manhattan, Thor never returns from Asgard, and a threatening Loki starts appearing to Jane….and now he's here in person. My smutty take on the whole 'Maybe when this is over, I'll pay her a visit' thing from 'Thor'.**

**Beta: One thousand thank-yous to my lovely and talented beta, canyr12. ****Loki's still waiting for you humans to kneel and worship her! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own a single character. Because slavery is illegal. **

**Author's note: I haven't read a single Avengers comic yet (sad, I know), so this is all from the 'Thor' and 'Marvel's Avengers' movie canon (and is spoilery for both). **

At some point, Darcy figures it out. Jane's not sure when it happened exactly; she had participated in that wild night with Loki six days ago, but it's only today that Darcy finally corners her during their lunch break.

"Alright, _spill_," she says, holding Jane's coffee cup up out of reach.

"About what?" Jane stalls, just on the off chance that this isn't going where she thinks it is. Erik turns to watch them from the lab's kitchen stove, his spatula poised in the middle of flipping pancakes.

Darcy rolls her eyes theatrically. "C'mon Jane, d'you think we're idiots? You've been practically _glowing_ since last weekend. And you really think anyone is fooled by that scarf? It pretty much screams: 'Hey, I have a hickey!' You got laid, didn't you?"

_Not a hickey. More like a set of teethmarks,_ Jane corrects to herself, unable to stop from reaching up and rubbing the spot. "My coffee. Give it up," Jane insists, holding out her hand.

"No, _you_ give it up. Who's the guy?" Darcy continues, keeping the mug high out of reach.

"Good for you, Jane," Erik jumps in. He hesitates, his gaze shifting between Jane and Darcy. "You've seemed, well, kind of down since Thor left-"

"What's he like?" Darcy interrupts. She can be a real pit-bull about this sort of thing, Jane knows from unfortunate past experience. "Blond? Dark?"

Jane has to restrain a hysterical giggle. _Dark? Oh yes. _Darcy has _no_ idea. Jane's hand unconsciously rubs the bite-mark again.

"I think it's best that I don't kiss and tell, Darcy," Jane says firmly. It seems safest, especially since Erik's here. This isn't a conversation she's comfortable having in front of him anyway – he's practically a father to her – but for her to be screwing the same person who once took over Erik's mind….yeah, awkward doesn't even begin to cover it.

"No way, you did NOT just say that," Darcy protests, setting Jane's coffee down hard enough to slosh some out onto the table. "I tell you _everything_ about my love life-"

"Yeah, and sometimes I wish you didn't," Jane retorts, though she regrets it the moment she says it. Darcy doesn't deserve to pay for Jane's guilt over…._whatever_ it is that she's doing with Loki.

Luckily, Darcy's skin is almost as thick as Loki's leather armour. "Um, Jane, I hate to break this to you, but that's what's considered 'girl talk'. And you- " Darcy points to Jane, "and I-" she points to herself. "Are _girls_. It's, like, a law or something."

Erik comes to the table with the pancakes, shaking his head and smiling at the two of them. "Have you been seeing this guy long, Jane?"

Jane can't think of any reason to avoid that particular question. "No. I mean, we just started seeing each other last weekend, in person, really-"

"I _knew _it!" Darcy proclaims triumphantly.

Erik elbows Darcy, but gently. "So, when do we get to meet this guy? Anyone who makes you _glow-_" he winks at Darcy "-is someone I'd like to meet."

Jane practically chokes to death on her coffee. When she's done coughing (with a few fake coughs thrown in to buy some time), Jane replies: "Well, it's kind of a long-distance thing. He was here over the weekend, but now he's gone." It's even partially true.

Erik sits back in his chair and takes a sip of coffee, looking wistful. "Ah, long-distance relationships are tough."

"Boy, tell me about it," Darcy cuts in. "Did I ever tell you about this guy I dated during my first year at university? He was going to school in Chicago, see…"

Relieved, Jane lets Darcy take over the conversation. It seems she managed to dodge the bullet. For now.

Jane tosses and turns in her narrow bed, finally throwing the covers aside and yanking her jeans on. She grabs her jacket, scarf, and car-keys from the kitchen table. Maybe a drive will clear her head.

She drives out into the desert, purposely avoiding the area where Thor first arrived. That's the last thing she wants to remember right now.

When she finds what feels like a 'good' spot, she stops the truck and gets out, staring upward at the lazy sprawl of stars above her. If you'd told her a year ago that alien life would've contacted them, that she would've met Thor, and that she would be…._involved_ with a supposed god of mischief from a mythical place that actually exists in real life….No wonder everything about her own life feels so surreal lately.

It's all so confusing, so complicated. She's sneaking around, she's hiding information from the government, and worst of all, she's lying to her closest friends. And all for what? Are three orgasms and one night of mind-blowing, somewhat kinky sex (with the promise of more to come) worth this tap-dance she's doing?

"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" Jane asks the chill night air, shaking her head.

She isn't expecting an answer, but she gets one anyways.

"Why not?" breathes the now-familiar voice by her ear. "I thrive on 'complicated'." He chuckles.

Jane doesn't look back at him, even though he's standing close enough that she can feel his body heat. "Of course _you_ would. God of Mischief and Lies, right? 'Complicated' must be your middle name." It comes out sounding a lot more bitter than she meant it, and Loki seems to go still as stone behind her.

A long moment passes, and then he walks around to stand in front of her. She stares resolutely at the patterns on the golden semi-circle ornament on his chest, refusing to meet his eyes. Whatever game he wants to play right now, she's not in the mood.

He reaches out and touches her hair, smoothing the strands between his fingers. "Already having regrets, my pet?" Jane listens for the expected note of mockery in his voice, but it isn't there. She risks a glance up at his face, and if she didn't know better, she'd think he was hanging on her answer. "Tell me what is troubling you now, that did not trouble you the last time we parted," he finally says, a note of command creeping back into his voice.

Jane shakes her head, turning a little away from Loki. There's probably a pit-trap in that question, waiting to catch her. Since when is he interested in being her confidante?

After a moment it all spills out of her anyways, though, because while Loki might be a master at lying, she's not even a yellow belt at it. "As I said, it's complicated," she repeats. "This could end very badly for me."

"I thought you trusted me not to bring harm to you," Loki says quietly. Jane shakes her head some more and stares up at the stars again, focusing on them as she explains: "It's not you I'm worried about. It's everyone else! SHIELD is probably not going to react well if they find out you're not only here on Earth, but that I'm…." here Jane pauses, searching for the right word, finally deciding on: "_involved_ with you. I'm sure 'treason' wouldn't be too strong a word. And if they did find out, what would they do? At best, they would only take away my research again. At worst? Probably throw me into Guantanamo Bay." Tears blur her vision as she remembers the impotent frustration she felt, the first time they came and 'borrowed' her work, but she blinks them away.

"I don't know of that place, but I would guess that you do not want to be imprisoned. You need not be afraid; I would never allow them to do those things to you," Loki says even more softly, but Jane's not interested in that particular promise. Or lie. This is her life, and she doesn't need him or anyone else to 'save' it for her. She trusted Thor to do that once, and he did get her life's work back for her, but she doesn't want to be in that position ever again.

"And that's not even what bugs me the most!" Jane continues. "Lying to Darcy and Erik, that's what's keeping me up at night. Especially Erik, after what _you_ did to him." She hadn't meant to say that, to take things that far, but it's out of her mouth now, it's hanging in the air between them.

Loki doesn't say anything, though, and almost without her willing it, the next logical step spills out: "And then I start thinking, why the hell are you here? Planning the next alien invasion of Earth? Trying to pump me for information about SHIELD? I doubt you escaped from Asgard just to come here and get some tail."

"I don't know what you mean. 'Tail'?" He asks, and he almost sounds plaintive to her, but she still won't let herself look at him. He's volatile, and she's probably already said more than enough to get him angry with her. Too late, she remembers that she's in the middle of the desert, at night, all alone with a god that she just told off.

Nobody even knows she's out here.

It's too late to stop now, though. "Have sex," she clarifies. She's about to continue venting, but then abruptly she changes her mind. She's said enough, paid out enough rope for Loki to hang her with, if he wants to. "Like I said," she concludes, "_complicated_."

He circles around slowly, until he's behind her, and Jane tries not to tense up. _Look at the stars_, she says to herself. In some ways, they are her oldest friends. If he's about to end her life, at least she can take comfort in knowing that she's dying in the company of the things she loves most.

But he doesn't lay a hand on her, and when he finally speaks, he sounds calm and perfectly reasonable. As if he expected this all along. "So, I take it you wish to end this, then? You do not want to continue our…arrangement."

"I never said that," Jane retorts, almost angry. But it's not Loki she's angry at, it's herself. Because despite all the danger, all the potential ways that she can pay dearly for what she's doing with him, the one thing she's most sure about, is that she does _not_ want this to end. "I don't want to stop seeing you. I'm afraid of what the outcome might be if other people find out, yes, and I HATE lying to the people I love, but I don't want our 'arrangement'-" that label works for her, yes "-to end, no. I just wish it was easier."

The very desert itself seems to take a breath, to pause, as if it's listening to their conversation, and Jane can almost feel the wheels of Loki's mind turning, processing what she just said. "Why?" he asks at last. "If the cost is so great – or could be – why would you wish to continue?"

But she has no real answer for that. Not one that makes any sense. She's not in love; she doesn't know him well enough or long enough at all for _that_. To say she's doing it for the kinky sex isn't right, either. She's not stupid enough to risk her freedom and her life's work just for that. So, still looking up at the stars, she says only the truth, "I don't know. But I know if we stop now, I'll spend the rest of my life wondering where it would have gone."

Deafening silence follows, and when Jane turns around, she realizes she's alone again. _Typical man,_ she thinks. _Pour your heart out, and they take off. Apparently Asgardian and human males have that in common. Terrific._

Shivering, Jane wraps her jacket tightly around herself, wondering if Loki has just made the all-important decision for her. And if so, what it was.

Sleep comes a bit easier once Jane gets back to her miserable excuse for a 'home'. Things are no less complex, but at least she got to vent to someone about it. Even if he was probably the last person she _should_ have vented to.

Her sleep is dreamless and calm. Which makes it even stranger when she suddenly jerks awake, not sure what woke her. Groggy, she gropes for the watch she keeps under her pillow, but it's not there. Frowning, she tries to reach down over the side of the bed, in case it fell on the floor….except that she can't. The mattress is suddenly a lot bigger than it used to be. And it's got a headboard and footboard. _What the Hell?_

Blinking, Jane sits up, finally realizing that this isn't her trailer. Yet another hotel room. Loki really doesn't approve of her 'temporary living situation', it appears. Then again, considering how tiny her bedroom alcove is, he's probably got the right idea. _If this keeps up, maybe I should rent an apartment in Puente Antiguo,_ Jane thinks, scanning the room for Loki, but he's not there. Or rather, if he's there, he's not allowing her to see him.

Jane climbs out of the unfamiliar bed, adrenalin pushing away the last dregs of her sleepiness. She's not afraid, exactly, but she's not sure what's going on, either.

Out of nowhere warm hands suddenly descend on her shoulders, gripping her firmly and holding her in place. He's standing behind her, she can feel his heat again, breathe in the scent of leather that clings to him. He sweeps her hair away from her neck, leaning in and planting a series of the softest of love-bites along the length of her throat, and Jane shivers and closes her eyes, already fighting back a moan. It seems he wants their 'arrangement' to continue, too.

His next words confirm it. "Say that you belong to me," he says softly right into her ear, his breath tickling her skin.

She wants to, but it's somehow hard to say it out loud. It must be her inner militant feminist again. She manages it, though, because that's what she signed up for, right? "I belong to you," she says. Her voice shakes a little.

His hands slide off of her, and he backs away, leaving her cold. "Remove your clothing," he orders. Jane turns to look at him, and he's wearing his usual smirk.

Jane doesn't have much to take off, but she does it slowly, her face heating as she realizes how closely Loki is watching her, like he's assessing every curve she reveals. It's ridiculous, he's seen her naked, has at least a passing acquaintance with every inch of her, and yet the way he's looking at her, the desire in his eyes, almost makes her feel like this is their first time all over again.

When she's naked, he stalks slowly around her, sizing her up. Somehow, it's even harder to tolerate his scrutiny, because he's wearing every last stitch of that damned armor. Again.

He circles back to stand in front of her, grinning at her obvious discomfort. "Get on your knees," is his next command, but Jane doesn't cooperate. She's already tired of this, of being the one who's always naked and exposed, while Loki gets to hide behind his leather and metal.

"No," she shoots back. His expression of surprise is almost comical. Clearly, he doesn't expect her to defy him.

"Not until you take off all that armour. It's sexy as hell, but I want to see _you_," Jane explains quickly, though his darkening expression almost makes her go to her knees anyway. They haven't set any terms for what he will do if she disobeys, and she's not sure she wants to find out.

Loki finally gives her a smile, but it's hard-edged as a sword, more of a threat than anything else. "It will be a difficult task, to break that spirit of yours, but I'm going to enjoy trying," he rasps. Jane clenches her fists, wondering if she's about to find out exactly what Loki will do to ensure her obedience, but when he starts to unbuckle the metal shielding covering his right wrist, then tosses it unceremoniously on the floor, she relaxes.

It seems to take a long time, with all the bits and pieces and the various fastenings, but he finally sheds everything, God knows how many pounds of leather, metal and green cloth. Jane tries to look at him without gawking like she's never seen a man before. Naked, his shoulders aren't as broad as she thought – the armour definitely enhanced his form in that arena – but it's hardly a complaint. He's pale, well-muscled and lanky, and she can't help stealing glances at the black curls that start their trail at his belly, making a straight line down until they surround the obvious evidence of his desire.

"There, girl, you've seen. Now you will obey, or you'll feel the weight of my hand," he growls, but there's a mischievous light in his eyes, and Jane thinks he's secretly thrilled that she wanted him in all his naked glory. Literally.

Abruptly, Jane remembers his last order, but when she starts to kneel,

Loki stops her, his fingers tight around her wrist. "Hold, dearest, I've had a change of mind. Lay down on the bed, on your back."

Jane does, following his directions to raise her arms above her head, to spread her legs. "More," he growls, staring right between her thighs, and Jane struggles to obey, blushing all over again.

She's not all that surprised when green smoke curls around the foot of the bed, resolving itself into three moderately-sized snakes. Two slide across her calves and wrap themselves first around each ankle, then the bed-posts, before morphing into more conventional (if green) ropes. The third slithers across her thigh and then up along her right side, eventually making its way up her arm and to her wrists, performing the same action when it gets there that its brothers did. When her binding is complete, Loki's grin widens in a very predatory way, one that makes butterflies circle in Jane's belly. She wonders if he will ever make this totally comfortable for her, or if there will always be this dance on the knife's edge, this anxiety that one day he'll push things too far.

It's not enough to make her want to stop, however.

He kneels down on the bed between her legs, shifting to bend over her trapped ankle. Starting there, he covers the inside of her leg with tiny kisses, working his way slowly up. Soft bites are added to the mix as he crosses her knee and begins working up along her thigh, and Jane squirms. When he reaches the place where her thigh joins to the rest of her, predictably he stops, laughing softly, letting her feel the coolness of his breath caress her clit. "I so enjoy making you squirm. It's almost as much fun as making you scream."

When he skips over her aching center and starts all over on the opposite ankle, it's no great shocker, but it still frustrates her. "Tease," she accuses him through clenched teeth. He laughs again, biting down a little harder on her soft flesh, making her writhe and gasp. "But you so _love_ being teased. And even if you don't, there is little you can do about it right now, my Jane. You are at my mercy." His grin widens. "Such as it is."

He continues his slow progress, and Jane tries to hold still, to not give him the satisfaction, but it's nearly impossible. When he pauses between her thighs again, he blows lightly on her slick flesh, and the coolness makes her moan.

He strokes her wet curls lightly and then parts her folds, tracing slowly along every ridge and crease, his bright green eyes glancing up frequently to drink in the expressions that wash over her face, as he teases every individual nerve ending. He always avoids the exact spot she so desperately wants him to touch, his white teeth flashing in a mocking smile when she tries fruitlessly to thrash and get his touch where she wants it. His long fingers continue to explore her, to play her like a musical instrument. He dips a finger inside her, shallowly, circling the inside of her entrance as leisurely as he can, and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from cursing when he eases back out of her.

Loki pulls away from her, getting up off the bed and looming over her. His excitement is obvious, though his facial expression is suddenly very controlled and focused. "Do you trust me, Jane?" he asks, and she wonders what he has planned, that he feels moved to check in with her.

"Yes," she says. Then, because more seems required of her, she adds, "Would I even be here, otherwise?"

"Possibly not," Loki says, but his attention seems focused elsewhere, and green haze spirals around the foot of the bed again. What is he doing now?

Jane starts a bit as she feels the dryness of snake scales sliding over her skin again, and when she glances down, the foot of the bed is covered in snakes. Small ones, large ones, all of them patterned boldly in green and gold and black, just like Loki's armour. They slide slowly up her legs, across her pelvis, over her breasts, and Jane gasps and tenses up reflexively, pulling hard on her bonds.

"Don't be afraid," Loki says softly, and somehow she can hear him over the endless sibilant hissing. "Close your eyes, Jane. Give me your trust." She does, trying not to think about the fact that she's almost totally covered in snakes now. Other than over her face and between her thighs, they're sliding along her sweat-slick arms and legs, over her belly, along her nipples. Her heart races, and almost against her will, she feels herself responding. It's like being caressed slowly and sensuously by hundreds of hands, and it's almost too much, her mind can't process all the sensations she's feeling.

"Open your eyes," Loki commands sharply, and Jane does so just in time to see the largest snake of all birthed from the thinning smoke at the foot of the bed. It slithers slowly up, its destination obvious, and Jane stammers "Wh- what are you doing?"

He grins lasciviously. "Making you feel things you've never felt before, I would wager." He looks down and Jane does too, watching the snake. It raises its head and pauses, tongue flicking, then makes contact. Jane moans over and over as the thick snake slides along her clit like a long, smooth tongue, the stroke seeming endless. Even once that interminable first pass is complete, it circles back for a return trip. And another.

She doesn't know how long he lets it go on for, only that for a long while all she can focus on is the cacophony of sensations rippling through her, on trying to remember to breathe. The times that she manages to open her eyes and look at him, he's leaning against the bed, stroking himself slowly, watching and listening, basking in the sights and sounds of her pleasure. Somehow, that brings her closer to orgasm than anything his serpents are doing to her.

He banishes them with a curt gesture, just before she goes over the edge. They disappear in a green flash. Jane's so wet, she's sure the bed is soaked through to the bottom of the mattress. The lightest of touches in just the right spot, and she'll go off like a rocket.

But the God of Mischief can hardly let that happen so easily, of course. When he lies down next to her on the bed, the teasing games continue. He kisses her, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He smoothes his hands down her arms, strokes light fingers across her breasts and over her nipples, traces small, barely-ticklish circles around her navel. "One day, you are going to just _kill_ me this way," Jane grits out, her back arching as much as it can. He kisses the bitemark on her neck, then laves it with his tongue. "You're stronger than you think, Jane," he purrs. "I'm sure you could withstand _days_ of this torment." He shifts position, getting up and kneeling on the bed, straddling her hips. His erection presses insistently against her belly; she can almost feel it pulsing. "Fortunately for you, _I_ cannot stand to wait that long."

He leans down and kisses her again with bruising force, then moves down, kissing his way down between her breasts, swirling his tongue around her belly button (it tickles and Jane jerks against the ropes), and then settles himself comfortably between her legs.

He parts her folds again, slips his tongue deeply inside her. Jane feels her legs starting to tremble, not sure how much more of this she can take. He licks his slow way up, eases her clit carefully out of its swollen hood, and then laps at it with long strokes. Jane makes a noise that would probably embarrass the Hell out of her in any other context, her whole body tensing. He stops, his green eyes laughing up at her. "But I do think a little more teasing is in order. If only because it amuses me so."

"Bastard," Jane spits out, without thinking. Loki's eyes darken and flash dangerously, going cold enough that Jane half expects him to get up and leave.

Or maybe do something worse.

He shakes his head slowly, his expression smoothing itself out. "I am most certainly not. But you know nothing of my parentage, and I prefer to save my wrath for those more deserving of it."

Jane thinks she's definitely stumbled onto something important, but that's as far as she gets with that thought, because Loki wraps his mouth around her clit again, and she can't get her brain to work any longer.

It's a new brand of torture he's subjecting her to, alternating between sucking on her clit, stroking it slowly with his tongue, or just pulling away completely and watching her face with rapt attention as his fingers move inside her, slowly coaxing her to the edge. When her orgasm comes, it's almost out of nowhere, her whole body submerged in a wave of pleasure so deep she feels like she's drowning in it. Of course, she screams, though she tells herself afterwards that she does it partially because she knows now how much he enjoys it.

Loki releases her bonds, but waits for her to recover this time. He plucks a box of condoms magically from the air, much to Jane's amusement, and then occupies himself reading the information on the back with great interest. After a few moments, he shakes his head slowly. "I can think of a few Asgardians whom Odin would do well to permanently sheathe like this, lest they burden Asgard with more and more dim-witted offspring." Jane has to wonder if he's referring to Thor, though Loki says no more about it. She's not even sure if he's being serious or not.

When Jane sits up, he makes quick work of applying a condom, and then he scoops her up. He seats himself on the edge of the bed, and Jane on his lap, facing him. "I would look into your face as I claim you for my own," he whispers into her ear. "Now, guide me." Jane takes him into her hand, stroking him. Some mischievous impulse of her own make her deliberately slide her hand lower, to caress his balls, and she puts on her own smirk as Loki groans, his gaze locked with hers.

He doesn't object or try to stop her, so she continues to caress his length, wishing he'd waited just a bit longer to put on the condom. Indeed, she's about to suggest just scrapping this one, because she _wants_ to touch him, to feel him, but he grabs her hand and makes her stop. "Enough! I want to feel the heat inside you. I want to watch you come. Obey me. Now!"

Jane does as he says, sliding him into her, moaning herself as she stretches a little to accommodate him. It's an interesting position, one she hasn't tried before, and his rough thrusts cause her to feel pressures in new places. Face-to-face with him like this, there's nowhere for either of them to hide their pleasure from each other. Jane can see every bead of sweat on his forehead, every muscle that moves every time his jaw clenches. There are no words to describe how that makes her feel.

Jane thinks there's something like affection in Loki's eyes when he comes to a stop, a strangled gasp ripping itself out of his throat. He spends himself into her, and then slides himself out almost immediately, but he quickly replaces the loss with his hand. He massages her clit in hard, rough circles until Jane shudders and gives in, Loki's gaze intent on her face, watching every reaction, as he promised earlier.

He gets up a little shakily, turning and placing her down on the pillows. He stretches like a lazy cat, and then goes over to his discarded armour, starting to dress again.

She wants him to stay, but she won't beg. Instead, she tries to stall him with questions. "You never told me why _you_ are so keen to maintain our 'arrangement'," Jane tries.

He grins over at her, like he knows exactly what she's doing, and pulls on his leather pants. _He goes commando, _Jane can't help noticing. _Why am I not surprised?_ Her eyelids want to close, but she forces them open, determined to try to keep Loki here as long as she can manage.

Loki's wearing that predatory grin again. "I'm not yet willing to give up that which is mine." He winks at her, then turns his back, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots.

Struggling to think of something else to say, Jane can only come up with: "I'm sorry I called you a bastard. It's a pretty mild insult here, but I guess it's different in Asgard."

He goes still again, but only for a moment. "As I said, it matters not," he replies smoothly, carelessly, but it seems false. Or so it seems to Jane.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" she invites.

Still facing away from her, Loki shakes his head slowly. "You would not understand."

Jane sits up, reaching to touch his still-bare shoulder. "Then explain it to me."

Loki brushes her hand off. "No."

_Damn it_, Jane thinks. But Loki is already trying to change the subject.

"Would you believe me, Jane Foster, if I said that I had no current plans to take over the Earth?" He's not looking at her, his gaze fixed on his hands, turning a piece of golden metal armour slowly around and around.

Jane doesn't know what to say to that. He's the God of Lies, after all. And 'current' plans is pretty specific. Today, he might not, but tomorrow, or next week? It's so ironic that she trusts him completely with her body, but not with her planet, or her fellow humans.

Would she end things with him, even if she knew he still planned to take over the Earth? The answer to that question is the same as her answer to his question: "I'm not sure."

As soon as it's out of her mouth, it feels too harsh. He hasn't mistreated her, not since appearing to her in the flesh, and he hasn't threatened anyone or anything else that she knows of. Guilty until proven innocent? That's just not fair, and Jane realizes that she doesn't really know the circumstances that motivated his earlier attempt to enslave the human race.

Jane reaches out, trying to touch him again, but before she can, green smoke swirls thickly up from around the bed, whipping around her like a miniature tornado, blinding her.

When it clears, she's back in her trailer, lying on her bed. Alone once more, Jane pounds her fist into her pillow several times, angry with herself. Once again, she's left things awkward between them. Maybe this time, he won't come back.

Something brushes softly against her ear, like a caress. She gasps and turns in that direction, but no one is there. Still, his voice whispers in her ear, heavy with promise: "Until next time, my Jane."

That works for her.


	5. The Calm Before the Storm Ch 1

**The Calm Before the Storm (1/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: September 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Sequel to Embracing the Dark (Loki/Jane, BDSM). Jane learns that there are some pitfalls to sleeping with the God of Mischief. And that's **_**before**_** the waste materials impact the proverbial bladed ventilation device.**

**Beta: Thanks and love to canyr12, for putting up with me! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Can I lease-to-own Loki? Pretty please? *begs* Especially if he comes with that leather get-up from Avengers….**

**Author's Note: As usual, I have not read any of the comics, so this is all based on movie canon.**

Two days after their last encounter, Jane decides it's time to find a bigger place to live.

If she's honest with herself, as much as she's enjoying this 'arrangement' with Loki, it still feels wrong on so many levels, and every time Loki yanks her out of her familiar home base and to a new anonymous hotel room for playtime, it just seems to underline that fact.

If she's going to travel, she'd much rather it be while on vacation, and not a brief glimpse of an interesting skyline, or a romantic sunset on the beach, and then all she sees from that moment on is the inside of another hotel room. And Loki, though she's not complaining about _that_.

But Jane is starting to think that if she moves into somewhere bigger, with a bed big enough for two people - _or at least, one small person and one much larger person_, she thinks to herself with a smile – that this will be better. If she can act out her fantasies in the same environment all the time, in a place where she will feel comfortable, maybe it'll feel a little less like she's doing something very very _wrong_ with Loki.

She's not a slut (or if she is, then so is _he_), so that's not what's bothering her. They're two consenting adults, and anyone who would look down their nose at her on that basis alone can go take a long walk off a short cliff, as far as Jane is concerned.

But given everything that Loki has done (both real and alleged)…unfortunately it's getting harder and harder for Jane to ignore that. She can't change the past, however, and she doesn't feel ready to confront him about those things. Indeed, she doesn't know if she ever will ask him to explain it all, because who knows what might set him off? But maybe if she takes this step, perhaps it will start to feel more like an actual _relationship_. It probably won't, if she's a realist, but it's worth a try. And she's getting tired of the cramped quarters, herself.

If their arrangement is going to go anywhere – and Jane doesn't know if it will, or how far she even wants it to – she doesn't think it can, so long as Loki just drops her into random rooms, screws her, and leaves. She wants a place with a decent-sized kitchen and a comfortable couch. A place where Loki can stretch out his long legs, and not look disgusted while doing so. A place where she can maybe coax him into staying with her longer than just during their bedroom antics, so she can feel less like this is just some bizarre friends-with-benefits situation.

If she can call it that. _Are we even friends, really? _she asks herself. But she doesn't like the answer that presents itself. No, they aren't, and they can't be, so long as Loki flits in and out of her life, and just for the sex. If she can get him to stick around for longer periods, maybe they can get to know each other better, perhaps even become friends. That's Jane's hope, anyway. She's not ready to give up what they currently have, but there's no denying that it doesn't sit comfortably with her, especially once she allows herself to also remember all the lying and sneaking around that she's doing.

Maybe with her own, bigger place, somewhere where they can meet consistently, at least it will feel a little less clandestine. Even if that's entirely an illusion.

So the next time she's in the lab running a simulation, she pulls out the local classifieds and starts looking for a new place. She doesn't need something _huge_, especially not after getting used to the trailer. A one-bedroom is fine, maybe a studio apartment?

All she really needs is good soundproofing, she thinks to herself with a grin, especially given Loki's apparent fetish for making her scream. She doesn't want the neighbours to be calling the cops every time Loki decides to visit! She circles a couple likely-sounding places. Selling the trailer is going to be another challenge, but she'll cross that bridge later.

Idly, she eyes the whiteboard across the way, lost in thought. She's still working on her own version of the Bifröst, just not as frantically as before. There's no longer a driving need to get to Asgard, now that she no longer considers herself to be in a relationship with Thor. Nor does she have the necessary power source to run such a device.

But it will still be an important scientific breakthrough, so Jane's going to keep at it, though it's a pleasant change; she knows that she's right, and there is no longer quite so much pressure to construct the thing and have it work _now_. She can actually kind of enjoy the process-

Her cell phone rings, and Jane scoops it up absently, without bothering to look at the display. "Hello?"

"Greetings, little one," comes the purring response, and Jane straightens up and glances around the lab. She's pretty sure Darcy and Erik are still up on the roof, finishing their first cups of coffee of the day, but she doesn't want to take any chances.

The coast is clear. "Loki, what the _hell_-?" she hisses into the phone. How does he even know how to use a phone?

"Are you alone?" he asks, his voice husky. It affects her in a way that makes Jane feel rather embarrassed. Or she would be, if there was anyone around to witness her blush.

"Yes, but-" She laughs nervously. What the hell is he doing?

"Good," he continues. "I have been thinking of you since dawn broke. Thinking about all I will do to you the next time we meet."

Jane's breath catches. He's not seriously going to-

"I think," he says, his voice getting lower and more gravelly, "that I will start by using your scarf to deprive you of your sight. So that you must rely on your other senses. Especially _touch_." He laughs softly, wickedly, and Jane realizes she's squeezing her thighs together.

"You cannot see me, but I am standing behind you," he continues, and Jane whirls around and checks, but there's no sign at all that he's in the room with her. Apparently he is content, for the moment, to tease her from a distance. "I reach around you and begin undoing the fastenings of your shirt, oh so slowly, one by one." He chuckles again.

Jane shakes herself like a wet dog, trying to break the spell his voice is weaving over her. She can't _do_ this. Not here, not now. "Loki, _stop_. There's a time and place for everything, and this is not the time! I'm at work, for God's sake, and Erik and Darcy could come down from the roof at any moment! Why are you doing this now?"

"Because I _want_ to," he says, and she can hear the leer in his voice. "How quickly you forget, my dear, I am the God of-"

"Mischief, I know," Jane interrupts sharply. "I don't _care_, Loki. There are some boundaries you just shouldn't cross-"

"And yet, you so enjoy when I _push_ those boundaries of yours," he remarks, the caressing edge in his voice still affecting her in ways that should probably annoy her a lot more than they are. "My mischievous side pleases you. More than you are willing to admit. Tell me, what is the harm in indulging me, at this very moment?"

"Let's see, intense embarrassment when I get caught?" she retorts.

He laughs again. "I am sure you will make convincing excuses to whomever may interrupt us. You _are _clever, my Jane." His voice lowers again, the intimate tone returning. "Now, where was I? Oh yes- Close your eyes. I've taken your sight from you, remember?"

Jane's hand clenches hard around the phone, but she can't quite bring herself to hang up on him. Part of her does enjoy this, yes. She finds her eyes closing despite herself.

"I have you naked to the waist now," he growls. "You cannot see anything, but you can feel my warm fingers on you, caressing you. I touch your lovely nipples, stroke them, and they stiffen under my hands."

Jane groans before she can stop herself, and she has to fight to resist the urge to touch herself, to see if she is indeed responding the way she is in the pictures he's painting for her.

He laughs softly at her reaction. "Your obedience pleases me," he continues. "And I know just how to 'reward' you. You next feel me undoing your breeches."

_Pants,_ Jane almost corrects him, but she doesn't feel like it. She doesn't need to look to know that her free hand is gripping the edge of the table hard enough that it's white-knuckled. Loki's voice is both soft and gravelly at the same time, and she wonders how the heck he _does_ that.

"I have you stripped bare, now," he goes on, "and I pull you back hard against me. Can you feel my armour pressing against your soft skin? Can you feel how badly I want you?"

"Yes," Jane answers, barely restraining a whimper. Damn him, she _can_.

There's that husky laugh again, evil and seductive at the same time, and between her legs, Jane feels a sensation of warmth, of heaviness. Her breathing speeds up, and the phone feels like it's welded to her ear.

"I am certain you are already wet for me, my Jane, but I can assess that easily enough," he teases. "I hold you tight against me and pull your legs apart, slide my hand right between them, press my fingers against the seat of your pleasure-"

The computer beeps loudly as the simulation ends, and it startles Jane right back into reality. Her cheeks are bright pink, she can _feel_ it, and if Darcy or Erik were to walk in right now, they'd take one look at her and _know _exactly what she's been up to. Hell, anyone with half a brain would know. Her anxiety goes back into high gear.

"Stop this," she hisses into the phone. "I can't- This isn't-"

"And now you are being disobedient again," he sighs loudly, but there's an amused edge there, too. "Will I have to take you over my knee?"

Jane bites her lip, trying not to entertain the mental image, but it presents itself to her anyway – herself, blindfolded still, lying naked and helpless over his lap, his strong hand holding her wrists pinned together behind her back. His other hand poised over her, ready to strike - Christ, Loki is just too good at pushing her buttons. She _aches_, in the best possible way, and no doubt that's exactly what he wants.

"Have you ever been spanked before, my Jane?" he asks. He doesn't wait for an answer. "I almost did so last time, when you so brazenly refused to kneel. You are overdue for a session of discipline, I think. I can't wait to feel you squirming in my lap, feel your skin heating under my palm as I give you your punishment."

If Jane wasn't wet before, she surely is now. She can _feel _it. She swallows another groan.

She's enjoying this, enjoying the crazy roller-coaster of it, enjoying the way her body is responding….But that doesn't make it right. Some things belong in private, and the lab is _not_ private. If he wants to tease her, okay, but not here where someone can catch her in the act. Never mind what could happen if anyone found out _who_ she's having phone-sex with.

"You want to 'punish' me? Fine," she replies, glad that her voice sounds just as strong and commanding as his. "But this, as I said, is not the place or time."

Just then, she hears Darcy and Erik coming back in. "And I'm not alone any more. So I'm hanging up now," she whispers into the phone. She doesn't wait for his reply, just hangs up and then turns her phone off for good measure, and then she makes a beeline right for the bathroom.

"Jane?" she hears Darcy call behind her.

"I'm OK, just need to visit the little girls' room," Jane calls back over her shoulder, walking even faster. She slips into the tiny bathroom and shuts and locks the door. She looks in the mirror, and she's flushed and obviously excited. _Damn you, Loki._ Jane closes her eyes again and tries to slow her breathing and heart rate, trying to relax. She pulls her scarf off and splashes water on her face, though the sight of the edge of the bite-mark in the mirror just reminds her again who had been at the other end of the line. And who she had a moment ago basically agreed to allow to 'discipline' her.

That had probably been his game all along, knowing him. To goad her into agreeing to submit to him for punishment.

Thinking about being 'disciplined' makes her both nervous and aroused, but with an effort, Jane sets both feelings aside. She's at work, and she has a job to do, and she's going to focus on that, God damn it.

_And if he calls me again at work, I am so not picking up. Ever._

_Thor allows his horse to canter along the Asbru bridge, wondering why Heimdall has summoned him, though he suspects it has something to do with Loki. He knows he will find the Gatekeeper at the edge of the bridge, staring out past the remains of the Bifröst._

_Odin has ordered the Tesseract hidden in the weapons vault, saying that it is too dangerous to use, and they are long months away from rebuilding the bridge to the other Nine Realms. It aggravates him that he cannot get back to Earth and see Jane, but Odin had refused to use the Tesseract or to call upon the dark energies again merely to allow Thor to visit the object of his affections. Odin does not deem the need great enough, and although Thor can understand it, he does not have to _like_ it. _

_It aggravates and eats away at him, day by day, but he plays the part of the dutiful son, partly to help ease Odin's and Frigga's grief over effectively losing Loki._

_He dismounts a few yards away from Heimdall, misgivings making themselves known to him. Ever since Loki escaped Asgard, Thor has been waiting for this day to come, and yet, now that it may be here, he finds himself dreading it. What new troubles might his adopted brother be stirring up? And what might Thor have to do to stop him? He does not look forward to engaging Loki in battle again. Loki may think that they are no longer brothers, but such thinking is not proving as easy for Thor._

"_Thor," Heimdall greets him._

"_Heimdall. Why did you summon me?"_

"_I bear tidings of Loki," Heimdall answers. "Though I do not think you will like them."_

_Thor sighs heavily. "No, I expect not."_

"_He has learned well how to shroud himself from my gaze," Heimdall explains. "So at first, I was unable to find him. But then, twice I noticed something odd happening in one of the Realms. A brief disturbance, and then I could see…_someone_. Yet only a glimpse. The first time, I was not sure, hence I did not summon you. But the second time-"_

"_You were sure it was Loki," Thor finishes for him. Sometimes, Heimdall can be rather plodding in his reports. "Where is he?"_

_There's a long pause, and then Heimdall says, the hesitation clear in his voice: "In the one place you most wish him _not_ to be."_

"_Midgard," Thor says, closing his eyes in despair. He should have expected as much. Fool, he should have convinced Odin to send him there _immediately_, the moment they first learned of Loki's escape. It _is_ the most obvious place Loki would run to, given how little he thinks of mortals. "And what mischief is he up to now?"_

"_That, I cannot say. I was not able to see him well enough or long enough to determine _what_ he is doing." There is another long, hesitant pause. "However, I can tell you _where_ on Midgard he is. Who he is in proximity to."_

_Thor feels a sudden spiked coldness in his gut. He clenches his hand tightly around Mjölnir's handle. "Tell me and be done with it, Heimdall."_

"_Your mortal. Jane Foster." Heimdall says, and Thor thinks he sees compassion in the Gatekeeper's gaze. Not that this is of any help to him at all. "Her friends, too – Dr. Selvig, and the other mortal girl. Beyond that, all else is hidden from me."_

_Thor does not think Darcy is in any danger from Loki. She does not know enough, unlike Erik Selvig. Erik probably is in danger, and Thor will not overlook that possibility. But foremost in his mind: __Jane__-_

Jane.

_Loki's angry voice rings all too clearly in Thor's mind:_ "What happened to you on Earth that turned you so soft? Don't tell me it was that woman….Oh, it _was_. Well, maybe, when we're finished here, I'll pay her a visit myself!"

_No. He cannot abandon the woman he loves, cannot leave her prey to whatever evil Loki has planned for her. _

_If indeed Loki hasn't already made good on his threat. _

"_Has Jane been harmed?" By Yggdrasil, Thor wishes Heimdall had some sense of _priorities_._

"_As far as I can determine, not as yet." The Gatekeeper looks mildly chagrined, which is probably the greatest emotional reaction Thor has ever seen in him. It does not comfort. _

_Thor's hand clenches so tightly on Mjölnir, that he is sure the haft of a lesser weapon would have snapped in half. Distantly, thunder rumbles in the Asgardian sky. He must act fast, before Loki can._

"_I would send you, if I could," Heimdall says, an apologetic note in his voice. He gestures at the ruin of the Bifröst. They have barely even begun to clear the wreckage away._

"_I know, and I thank you," Thor says, already starting to turn away._

"_I shall wish you luck convincing the All-Father. With a confirmed sighting of Loki, however, I would think the All-Father will judge the need to be great, indeed," Heimdall calls after him._

_Thor, vaulting back onto his horse, does not answer, but he hopes the Gatekeeper is correct. _

_Thor had put all other considerations before Jane up until now, at his father's behest, and so long as he had known Jane was safe, he had played the role duty required of him. But now, if she will suffer (or worse) as a result of his absence, especially at the hands of his brother….no, Thor can delay no longer._

_If Odin will not aid him, Thor thinks yet another Odinson may have to steal the Tesseract._

Jane wakes groggily up in a strange place once again, though things _feel_ different this time. She can't quite put her finger on what's changed, not at first.

When she sits up and looks around, the room she's in is much fancier than any place Loki's ever teleported her to before. Ornate carvings on the bed glimmer in the light of several tall candles. Heavy drapes that look like real velvet hang around windows that have to be at least two stories tall. The sheets under her feel like pure silk, the floor tiled in smooth stone. All the furniture is wooden and decorated in gold and green, and she knows somehow, without knowing how she does, that all the gold is _real_.

But what's odd is the way things are blurred at the edges of her vision. Everything shifts into sharp focus when she turns to look right at it, but everything else then shifts into softly blurred shapes. It's bizarre. Trying to figure out where she is, Jane slips out of the bed and walks towards the nearest window.

She'd been understandably nervous after she left work earlier this evening, looking back frequently over her shoulder, even though she knew that to be a useless exercise – she would never be able to see him, not unless he allowed it.

By the time she'd gotten to her trailer, her hands had been shaking. She hadn't believed for a second that Loki would really harm her, but that hadn't really comforted her as much as she'd hoped.

There was no way of knowing how far he'd try to push things, as Loki was unpredictable at best.

Still, nothing had happened once she'd gotten home. She'd eaten dinner, she'd tried to read, she'd gone to bed, and all in a state of nervous arousal. But Loki hadn't shown up to….do whatever he'd planned to do to her.

Now she's here, in this strange place. But the obvious luxury seems at odds with being 'disciplined'. Or maybe that's his plan? Trick her into a false sense of security, and then spring her 'punishment' on her just when she starts to relax? She wouldn't put it past a trickster like him.

When she gets to the window and looks out, things become even more confusing. The sky is full of constellations she doesn't recognize, even nebulas and pulsars. _Where the heck am I?_

_Jane, _Loki's voice whispers in her mind. She whirls around, but she's still alone in the room. As far as she can tell. In fact, Loki's voice, if she can call it that, seems to beckon her to leave the room, as if he called to her from outside.

For a moment she balks, not sure she's ready for this. Still, Loki is the only potentially familiar thing here, so Jane leaves the window and moves towards the door of the room. If he wants to punish her, let him get on with it, then.

On the way out, she catches sight of herself in a tall mirror in the corner of the room, and she pauses, staring at herself. She walks over to stand in front of the mirror, examining her reflection. She hadn't noticed up until now what she is wearing, but it's like a nightgown, though not like anything she would ever pick out for herself. Two thin straps of gold lie over her shoulders, going down to a neckline that's a little more risqué than what she would've chosen. The rest of the dress is a long length of golden lace, almost long enough to brush the floor, over an equally long layer of green satin. Underneath that, she's wearing nothing at all, which becomes even more evident when she turns sideways, looking at herself from all angles. The dress has been completely slit up both sides, the bare flesh cross-tied with thin golden ribbons, from under her arms to halfway down her shins. She's barefoot, too, but the stone floor feels only barely cool.

Apparently, Loki does have a taste for lingerie.

_Jane, come to me,_ whispers the voice softly and insistently in her head.

Well, she can ask him herself what his game is. She goes over to the door of the room and pushes it open. A long, torch-lit corridor stretches out in front of her, stairs leading up in the distance into what seems to be a huge vaulted room.

She starts down the hall, noticing that there doesn't seem to be anyone else around. She seems to get to the end of the hallway much faster than she would have expected, and she starts to climb the stairs. _This has to be a dream._ It's the only thing that makes sense. A dream that Loki is once again controlling, twisting to his purposes, whatever those are.

What greets her at the top is even more stunning than the room she 'woke' in, a dim, torch-lit room large enough to contain probably ten football fields. The floor is tiled in dark grey, etched in places with intricate gold symbols, and the room is ringed with massive windows, except for the back wall, which is made up entirely of golden tiles. In the middle of that wall are another two flights of stairs topped by a massive throne of gold, also filigreed with symbols.

There's someone slouching on the throne, though Jane doesn't recognize him at first, thanks to the horned helmet. She's seen a similar one before, in those pictures of Loki she'd looked at back during the time he was stalking her, but it still takes a moment to register.

"Jane Foster of Midgard," he says formally, his voice echoing in the huge room, and then she's sure it's Loki. "Welcome to my home."

_Asgard,_ she thinks. Yes, she should've realized as much. "Is this…real?" she asks him, walking hesitantly forward, her feet whispering over the tiles.

"Though I wish it were so, no. Merely a dream." He stands, and Jane realizes it isn't just the golden helmet that's new to her. His armour is different as well, all gold and green, and very little black. His shoulders are less enhanced than in his usual get-up, and he's got a green cape on as well. It takes her another moment to realize the green and gold hues of his armour match the dress she's wearing.

"Come," he beckons her forward, coming down a step or two towards her. He still cuts a very imposing figure, Jane decides, even though that helmet kind of makes her want to giggle.

Again, it doesn't take as long as it should for her to cross the room. It doesn't bother her much, though. Dream physics, right?

He motions her to a stop at the foot of the bottom flight of stairs. He's still at the top, looming above her, and she remembers again what he'd said earlier that day.

_You are overdue for a session of discipline._ Nervously, she drops her eyes. It's a dream, but still. Everything feels real enough, and she imagines a spanking here will feel _plenty_ real.

"I see you remember your place," he says imperiously, coming down another two slow steps. "I am your king, and you _would_ do well to remember it. I can be merciful," he pauses, "if I am first appeased."

_If he thinks he's king-_ Jane wonders how to respond to that. Then it hits her, and she curtseys, as best she can in the form-fitting dress.

When she straightens up, he looks a little baffled. Maybe the ladies don't curtsey in Asgard? She drops her eyes again. "My king," she says. It feels strange in her mouth, but it doesn't sound all that ridiculous, given the grandness of their surroundings, and besides, it's still a dream. Her inner militant feminist can take a brief vacation.

He descends the stairs the rest of the way. His hand is warm and feels real enough when he raises her chin. He chuckles, meeting her gaze, and gives her a gentle, charming smile. "As I have said before, you are clever. Come." His hand wraps around hers, tugging her lightly to follow him up the stairs. Towards the throne.

Halfway up, she stumbles a bit on the hem of the dress, almost pitching onto her knees, but Loki steadies her. She's awkward even in dreams, apparently.

She shakes her head and hikes up the hem of the dress a bit, looking up at the impressive throne again.

"Is that what it looks like in Asgard?" she asks him, gesturing towards it.

"Near enough. This is based on my memories, after all, and I daresay there may be some inaccuracies." He shrugs. "Does it matter?"

"No, just curious," she says. When they get to the top of the dais, Loki releases her hand, settling back down into the throne. He looks up at her expectantly, but Jane stays in place, not sure what he wants from her. She looks back over her shoulder, but the vast room is empty of anyone else, the edges blurred away, as they were in the small bedroom she first 'woke' in.

"Come, come," he urges her, pulling her to stand in front of him. Between his spread legs.

His hands touch her sides, tracing along the edges of the ribbons, stroking her bare flesh. It's half tickle and half caress, and Jane giggles, trying not to jerk away.

"Do you like your dress?" he asks. "Because I must admit to being rather fond of the design." His fingers slide under the ribbons, continuing to stroke softly along her skin. Her nerves tingle, responding to his touch.

"Yes," she says, struggling to keep her voice steady.

"Perhaps you should then _thank_ me," he suggests, smirking.

Her militant feminist side hasn't gone on vacation at all, apparently, because she has to resist the urge to roll her eyes at him_. If he wants a blow-job, let him _ask_ for it. Especially after that stunt he pulled over the phone._

So she decides to tease right back. "How do you suggest I do so, my king?" she asks, pretending innocence.

"Oh, still irritated with me for today's earlier play?" he mocks, but gently. "I shall have to fix that." He touches her cheek, then threads his fingers into her hair, drawing her face down and forward for a deep, heated kiss. It's a bit of a delicate operation at first, as his face is partially covered by the helmet, but they manage to make it work. Jane can feel one edge of the helmet pressing coldly against her cheek as they slowly devour each other, and thinks: _Well, this one's a first for me. _

Jane presses her hands to his armoured chest for balance, as he continues to kiss her, his fingertips brushing lightly along her sides. When one of his hands eases forward, his thumbnail circling the outermost edge of her nipple through the dress, slow and teasing, she groans into his mouth and squeezes her thighs together.

It almost takes her by surprise, how quickly she is responding to him. Then again, she's been aroused all day, ever since his evil little phone call.

He breaks the kiss and grabs her hips, pulling her into his lap without warning, and Jane gasps. He smiles up at her, and Jane can't help smiling back. Sometimes she finds it hard to remember all the bad things he's supposedly done, when he smiles so charmingly like that.

But there's also a lascivious glint in his eyes. When he places a warm hand on her thigh and slips it up right under the hem of her dress, cradling her wetness in his palm, Jane takes a sharply indrawn breath at the abruptness of it. OK, maybe not so easy to forget how evil he can be.

He laughs low, smirking. "So slick already for me? Wanton girl." He slides two fingers right into her, easily, his thumb brushing lightly across her swollen clit, and Jane digs her nails into his caped shoulders.

"What, no foreplay?" Jane chides him, biting back a moan.

He chuckles again, his eyes bright with mischief. "I thought our earlier conversation over the telephone _was_ foreplay." He looks very pleased with himself, and Jane almost rolls her eyes again.

"Oh, is _that_ what that was? I was wondering," Jane teases, though she's not sure why she's pushing him. Especially given the content of the _end _of that conversation.

Maybe it's true, maybe she does want to be spanked by him.

The corner of his mouth quirks. "Silence, impudent wench," he says, but the silent laughter in his eyes takes any sting out of his words. The hand deep inside her begins to move, small back-and-forth motions, his thumb making tiny firm circles on her clit, and Jane's logical abilities vanish out the huge windows.

She'd rather focus on what he's doing to her, anyway. He tugs gently at the top of her dress with his free hand, pulling it down until her breasts are bare, then toys with her nipples, the hand between her legs beginning to push harder inside her. Jane lets her head roll back on her neck, digging her fingers into him, holding on for dear life, but she can still feel his eyes on her, watching her, calculating his next move.

He pulls her a little forward and she feels teeth graze the side of her neck, scraping over the healing bite-mark, and then he pulls her face back to his and kisses her. She groans into his mouth again, and feels his answering chuckle against her lips.

Just as suddenly as he began, he pulls both hands away from her, and Jane fights back a whimper of frustration, but he's not done with her yet. "Turn around," he orders, eyes gleaming and the gravelly tone back in his voice. Jane obeys almost automatically, fully aware that his hand is busy at the fastenings of his pants, getting ready for whatever the next step in his scheme is.

Loki pulls her back over his lap, gathers her dress up out of the way, and then enters her in one swift merciless thrust that seems to drive all the breath out of her lungs. Cupping her breasts in his hands, he leans forward, pressing his chest against her back, the metal of his armour cold against her skin.

The vast room in front of her suddenly ripples and twists. Maybe he's losing a little of his control over the dream? She doesn't know much about magic, but she wouldn't be at all surprised if being in the throes of passion screwed up his illusions, at least a little.

Or maybe it's just her own neural overload.

She braces her hands on the arms of the throne and closes her eyes, forgetting everything else but _sensation_, enjoying the feeling of him inside her. He's squeezing her nipples and thrusting slowly now within her, kissing the side of her neck. She can feel the cheek-piece of his helmet pressing coldly against her as he does this, and she breathes in the scents of leather and musk. If she cracks her eyes open just a bit she can see those crazy horns jutting out past her face from the corner of her eye, bobbing with his movements, and she has to smile a bit at the ridiculousness of that.

His teeth tease at the edge of her ear, and a hand drops to her clit, working it with rough motions that are just a little _too_ rough, and Jane jerks away from him just a bit, trying to slow things down to a more comfortable pace.

She glances out into the room again…and suddenly all her excitement turns to cold ashes.

They're not alone any more. A single figure stands in the middle of the room, silent, watching her and Loki going at it. The figure is blurry at first and indistinct, and she knows it's not real, but it still creeps her out. Loki may be an exhibitionist (apparently), but not her!

Against her will, the image sharpens, and then she can see all too clearly who is looking up at them. He's been shackled to the floor somehow, and he's staring right up at them with an expression of jealous rage on his face. It's the one person she doesn't want to see right now, real or otherwise.

Thor.

"No!" Jane gasps, pulling up and off of Loki, wrenching her arm away when he tries to stop her. The skirt of her dress falls back into place, hiding the lower half of her body, and she crosses her arms across her chest, covering herself up as best she can and turning her back on their audience of one.

Loki raises his eyebrow questioningly at her, somehow still managing to look regal, despite having a raging, glistening hard-on. "He is not real," he remarks mildly.

"I don't _care_," Jane grits out, squeezing her arms tighter around herself, defensively.

"It's only another harmless game," Loki chides her.

"I can't do this, not with Thor fucking _watching_ us." What is it with him and pushing at her boundaries, today?

Loki is starting to look slightly annoyed now, but he continues speaking in the same mild tones. "I thought you were angry with him."

Jane stares at him as if he's lost it. "I _am_."

"Forgive me," he says, and now there is a slight note of sarcasm in his voice. "I thought you wanted him to suffer for abandoning you."

The pieces of the puzzle suddenly click into place for Jane. "You _want_ Thor to know about us, to be jealous of us. Except that if he finds out for real-"

"He is not going to find out. I have been taking careful steps to ensure that fact," he shrugs, then looks at her speculatively. "You did not answer my question, Jane."

She doesn't really want to answer it, but after trying out a few versions in her head, she decides on: "I'm angry, yes, but I'm not _vindictive_, OK?"

He puts a finger to his lips, looking unconvinced, as if he thinks she is lying. _Right, like anyone could ever lie convincingly to_ him, she feels like pointing out. Especially her, Miss White Belt in Lying.

"Is there something else?" he continues, slowly. "Perhaps you still have feelings for my brother? I thought that you wanted to be with only me, but perhaps I was wrong."

_Christ, he can be _such _an idiot_. Jane makes an angry gesture with one hand. "You see me with anyone else, Loki?"

He cocks his head at her, brow furrowing, obviously still trying to solve whatever mystery he thinks her reaction represents. "Are you ashamed of us, Jane? Of our arrangement?"

"What? No!" _What the hell does that have to do with anything?_

He starts to say something else, but she cuts him off, anger making her enunciate every word. "The fact that I do not want to watch Thor watch _me_ getting off with his brother has nothing at all to do with who I want to be with, or who I am angry with, or anything else. It's just fucking creepy, OK? Real or not real, it is _not_ a turn-on."

"How disappointing," he remarks calmly, a bored expression on his face as he tucks himself quickly back into his pants.

He's acting like _she_'s being the unreasonable one. "You're not being fair!" Jane protests, but it's already too late. A curt sweep of his hand, and the dream fragments around her, breaking into shards. She tries to hold onto it, but the pieces dissolve in front of her eyes and run away like water, leaving her in inky blackness.

She snaps awake in her own bed. All alone, no big surprise. _No fucking_ way, she seethes. _Not this time._ "Loki!" she calls.

She waits a beat or two, but if he's here, if he's listening, he gives no sign. She gets up out of bed and stands in the middle of her kitchen, her arms still crossed defensively over her chest. This could be like showing red to a bull, but she can't stop herself.

"Loki! We have to talk, damn it!" They really _really_ need to set some ground rules, especially if he's always going to react this way when she resists.

Nothing.

"I know you're the God of Mischief and all, but there have to be limits!" Jane yells, not caring who might hear her.

Still nothing.

"Fuck!" Jane curses angrily, going back to her bed and flouncing down on it.

And the worst thing is? She's still horny. _Bloody hell._

She closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths, trying to slow the racing of her heart. She wipes the back of her hand across her forehead, and it comes away sweaty.

Unwelcome thoughts crowd into her brain. _Are you ashamed of us, Jane? Of our arrangement?_ She can just hear his voice in her mind, the echo of the dream.

She shakes her head. She doesn't want to think about that.

_But you_ are, _aren't you?_ her traitorous mind whispers anyway.

She is ashamed, yes, but not of him, nor of their arrangement. No, she's only ashamed of herself, when she stops and really considers everything. Seeing Thor just now, even if he wasn't real, had reminded her that he has no idea that she's moved on. And she's also ashamed because she's still concealing the identity of her lover from everyone she cares about.

Lying and sneaking around might be Loki's bread and butter, but her? Never.

_But there's nothing I can do about it._ She has no way to tell Thor it's over, and she can't let anyone here know what's going on. She can't risk losing her life's work, and maybe even her freedom, especially when she has no idea if Loki is even up to anything. Well, anything beyond making her life a complicated mess.

_You're assuming that you didn't piss Loki off so much, that he won't come back this time_, a negative little voice nags at her in her head.

_He asked for it,_ she snarks back. But that doesn't make her feel better.

She finally gets under the covers and rolls over, too dispirited to even think about taking care of the ache between her legs.

_What if he doesn't come back?_

_Maybe that would be for the best,_ the other side of her brain answers.

This isn't helping anything, so Jane does her best to think of other things. Constellations, star-charts, calculations for Einstein-Rosen bridges. It's a struggle at first.

She's finally relaxed and right on the edge of sleep when a new thought occurs out of nowhere: _He'll be back. He has nobody else. Here, or in Asgard. Or anywhere._

It's enough to snap her back to full wakefulness. She stares into the dark confines of her trailer. Oh Christ, it's so true.

And so _sad_.

The next day Jane is back at the lab, tired and grumpy and unable to focus, wondering if Loki is going to try to pull some new stunt today, or if she's even going to hear from him. He hadn't seemed angry last night, exactly, but he's just so unpredictable that Jane really has no clue what he'll do next. If anything.

She tells Darcy and Erik that she had a bad night when they give her concerned looks, and she spends most of the morning hunched over her notes and trying not to think about Loki, and everything that happened yesterday.

About mid-morning there's the sound of Erik opening the fridge door in the kitchen area behind Jane, and then a loud, annoyed sigh. "We're all out of food," he says.

"Time to stock up again?" Jane asks absently.

"Yes. You two want to come along? It'll go faster with three of us."

Normally Jane would go along, but there's just too much crap in her head right now. Maybe some alone time here will help her to sort through it all. "I'll pass this time."

"_I _won't," says Darcy. "I think my eyes will fall out of my head if I don't take a break from coding Jane's data."

Jane nods. "Go ahead, you two. And bring me back some Doritos, OK?"

"Sure," says Darcy.

Silence settles over the lab after they've left, and Jane sighs and presses the palms of her hands over her eyes. _What exactly were you expecting?_ she scolds herself. _You're sleeping with the damned Norse god of mischief. You really didn't think that he wouldn't try to pull some crazy things?_

Which leads to another unwelcome thought: What exactly is Loki doing when he _isn't_ with her? She could ask, of course, when (if!) she sees him again….but what if she doesn't like the answer? If it has anything to do with alien invasions or world domination, she's back between a rock and a hard place all over again. She shakes her head and drops her hands back onto the table.

Unexpectedly, something green and gold shimmers at the edge of her vision, outside the lab windows. Jane turns to look, nearly knocking her half-full mug of cold coffee right off the desk with her elbow.

Loki is standing outside the window smirking in at her. He's wearing yet another variation of his Asgardian armour, one with more gold metal plating, the green cape, and a slightly different version of the golden helmet. It still features those insane horns, though.

"Oh. My. God." Jane mutters. Then the panic hits – what if someone _sees _him?

Jane scrambles ungracefully out of her desk chair, meeting up with Loki at the door to the lab.

She can't help looking him up and down, trying to ignore how his grin widens at her reaction. "Wow, ostentatious, much?" she can't help pointing out. "And what the hell are those supposed to be, anyway?" she continues, pointing at the golden horns. "Antlers of doom?"

He chuckles indulgently. "Some might call them that."

Jane almost asks him jokingly if he's compensating for something, but then she remembers that she's supposed to be annoyed with him.

Also, he's once _again_ somewhere she doesn't want him to be – here! "Are you insane?" she snaps. "I told you yesterday over the phone that I didn't even want you calling me at work, and now you show up here in person, especially dressed like _that_?"

He smiles and leans extravagantly against the doorframe. "No one but you can see me."

Jane ponders that a moment, then realizes the implications. "Oh great, so anybody walking by right now will look over, see me talking to myself, and call the men in white coats on me."

At his raised eyebrow, Jane quickly amends: "They'll think I'm crazy!"

"I can easily conceal you, as well," Loki remarks, with a mild tone similar to the one from her dream. "Though at the moment, such is not required. There is no one around to see us."

"How can you be so sure?" Jane asks, her hands twisting nervously together.

He shrugs. "I have many powers of which you are not aware, my Jane."

She's not sure what to say to that, but he doesn't give her much of a chance to answer, pushing himself away from the doorframe (he has to duck a little, so his horns don't catch on the top of the door) and grasping her upper arms, pulling her to him for a kiss.

His fingers tangle in her hair, and it takes a second for him to line her up just right, as once again the cheek-pieces of the helmet want to get in the way, but he does it so skilfully that Jane has to wonder for a second if he's kissed a lot of girls while wearing the 'antlers of doom'.

She tries not to relax against him – he still has lots of bullshit to answer for – but it's difficult. He's really too good at this, his tongue gently exploring her mouth, and it doesn't take much to get her aroused all over again, especially after yesterday. Who says only men can have 'blue balls'?

He pulls away at last. "I am sorry," he says, his eyes meeting hers directly.

Jane's not sure she heard him right. "Excuse me?"

"I am sorry," he repeats. "For last night. I should not have allowed my anger at Thor to intrude upon us. Nor should I have reacted so unkindly." A slow smile spreads across his face then, puzzling Jane. "Though," he adds, "I shall _not_ apologize for my phone call last morn."

Jane rolls her eyes and gives him a little shove in the chest, though it barely moves him. "You're incorrigible," she mutters.

"A necessary requirement of being the God of Mischief," he replies loftily, eyes glittering gleefully at her.

Jane slaps at his shoulder playfully, but this time her hand passes right through him, and suddenly Loki shimmers and disappears from in front of her. _What the-_

Out of the blue she's grabbed from behind, and Jane yelps in surprise as Loki's strong hands pull her back hard against him. Warm breath swirls against her ear. "Also, I must admit, my lust for you does tend to inspire misbehaviour in me. Perhaps if you were to aid me with that?" he suggests playfully. He pushes his hips into her, and there's no mistaking his arousal.

"Down, big boy," Jane growls, but it's half-hearted at best. If she's honest with herself, she wants him too. Especially after yesterday's endless teasing.

And he did apologize, sort of.

But the lab has way too many windows, and despite Loki's assurances that he can hide them both, even in plain sight, she feels way too exposed here. Not to mention, what if Darcy and Erik come back?

Well, there's still one relatively private place in here. "Come with me," she says, taking Loki's hand and leading him towards the bathroom. Luxurious, it isn't, but it will have to do.

She pulls him in after her (again, he has to duck his horned head) and shuts and locks the door behind them both. Critically, she looks around, ignoring Loki's expectant smirk. There really isn't much to work with. A toilet, a pedestal sink, and a mirror above. That's it.

Loki is still waiting, so Jane makes a decision and grabs his arm, lowering the toilet seat's cover and guiding him to sit down on it. It creaks alarmingly, and Jane wonders again how heavy all that armour must be. Well, this isn't the time or place to get it all off of him, she supposes.

She kneels down between his legs, and starts to fumble with the complicated fastenings at his…fly? Well, whatever Asgardians call it.

Loki clears his throat, and Jane looks up to see him raising his eyebrows at her. "If this is the way you intend to 'punish' me for appearing to you at your place of work, be assured that this is likely to lead to exactly the _opposite_ effect," he informs her wryly.

Jane shakes her head, finally working free the last lacing. "That's not why I'm doing this. You asked me for 'help' and I'm giving it to you. Besides, last I checked, I owe you a couple orgasms."

His eyebrows lift even higher at that. "Keeping score, my dear? No need. It is not a competition. In fact, if you are 'ahead' of me in that fashion, I take that as a sign of my skills as a lover." He sounds so smug, so pleased with himself, that Jane has to laugh. _Of course he would._

Jane wraps her hand around his length, stroking him gently, teasingly. "But," she insists, "I want you to promise me that these…incidents at the lab will stop. After _this_, anyway."

Loki pouts down at her, or tries to. He's having obvious difficulty, especially when Jane lets her hand speed up ever so slightly. "Perhaps I don't want to promise that. Perhaps I enjoy stoking the fires of your passion, whenever, wherever, and however I choose." He sounds almost petulant, but then the commanding edge worms its way back into his voice. "Perhaps that is my right, within the bounds of our arrangement."

Jane lets her strokes slow to a crawl, ignoring his _look_. "There have to be limits, Loki. The lab is a place where we can't play, not in the future. That's just the way it has to be."

Loki rolls his head back in exasperation, the tips of his horns barely missing goring the plaster. "And take that damned thing off, before you wreck the walls," Jane adds sharply.

He gives her another _look_. "You are forgetting your place again, wench." He flexes his right hand, in a way that Jane is probably supposed to take as a warning. A reminder that her 'discipline' may be dealt out at any time.

But she isn't going to cave, not on this issue, so she stops touching him entirely and stands up, puts her hands on her hips and glares at him. "Stop. I'm _serious_."

He throws up his hands dramatically. "Very well, Jane Foster," he concedes, rolling his eyes as if she is the most annoying person he's ever encountered. "No more 'games' at your place of work. I swear it by Yggdrasil."

He remembers to remove the helmet, and Jane's eyes widen in surprise as he makes a swirling movement with his hands, the helmet winking out of existence.

"That's a neat trick," she remarks.

"It can indeed be most useful at times," Loki agrees. "And now, as I have acquiesced to your demands…" He pauses significantly.

Jane goes to her knees again, and takes him deep into her mouth in one movement.

Loki hisses and cups her head in his hands, pushing her hair out of her face, watching her move her lips slowly along his shaft. The intensity of his gaze makes her feel somehow both shy and aroused.

She traces the tip of her tongue along the underside of his shaft, following the pulsing veins. She breathes in his scent, makes herself look up to watch him as he watches her. When she reaches into his pants again to gently ease his balls free, and to stroke them lightly, he growls something in a language she doesn't know. He slides a hand behind her neck, though his fingertips first trace along the circle of the bite-mark, and an expression crosses his face too quickly for Jane to identify.

It doesn't matter. Her knees are starting to protest being on the hard floor, so Jane closes her eyes and takes him deep into her mouth again, moving up and down, slow at first and then faster and faster, one of her hands moving along the rest of his shaft in tandem with her mouth.

Loki's hand tightens on her shoulder almost hard enough to hurt, then loosens. Both his hands then fall away from her, and when she opens her eyes again, they are clenched into fists on his knees, his pale face flushed and his eyes dark as he looks down at her. He feels hard as steel against her tongue and lips, and he starts to gasp in a way she recognizes.

"Jane," he says warningly, "I am going to-"

But she _wants_ to taste him, so she doesn't stop. He growls words in the unknown language again, the sounds rumbling in his chest, and spills himself across her tongue; he tastes bitter (which is rather appropriate), but Jane swallows anyway, takes all of him in.

Loki gasps harshly and closes his eyes, and Jane can see the shorter strands of hair around his face pasted to his skin with sweat. She lets him go and wipes her hand across her mouth, pleased that she was able to please him, but her knees can't take much more, so she gets shakily to her feet.

He runs his fingers through his hair, slicking the loose strands back and out of his face, and smiles warmly up at her. Actually, on second thought, he looks _very _pleased with himself, above and beyond what Jane would expect from someone finally getting his sexual release. It suddenly occurs to Jane that goading her into taking control might have been his plan all along? She wonders, but not for long.

His smile turns suddenly wicked. "My turn to have my evil way with you, little one," he purrs. He doesn't even bother to lace himself back up, but stands, crowding her back into the wall, and then wraps long fingers around her upper arms.

He kisses her, slow, hot and deep, then spins her around, turning her to face away from him, and pushes her forward until she's leaning over the cold edge of the sink. She watches in the mirror as he flashes her his patented evil smirk, then he sinks gracefully to the floor. Deft fingers shift her hips back a bit, giving him more room to work, and then pop open the buttons on her jeans, and Jane already has to resist squirming.

He yanks her jeans roughly down off her hips, and her underwear follows suit right after, Jane gripping the sink's edge tightly to keep from being pulled off her feet. Impatiently, he jerks the clothing down and off one foot, almost ripping her shoe off in the process, and then he shoves her legs wide apart. He pauses for a long moment, and Jane feels herself blush bright red, knowing he's getting an up-close eyeful.

He separates her folds and she tries not to writhe, all too aware how wet she already is. When he smoothes his tongue along her centre, she has to bite off a moan. He chuckles low against her skin, then flicks his tongue against her clit, laughing again when she jumps slightly. "So sensitive," he remarks, a caressing edge in his voice. "So many possible ways I can use that to my advantage, to make you squirm and beg me for release," he purrs, and Jane clenches her hands harder on the sink edges, trying not to think about what he could possibly mean. Does he mean here and now, or is that a future threat (promise)?

She has to bite her lip, hard, to silence her gasp when he changes tactics, his tongue now softly teasing at her entrance, while his fingertips paint slow, easy circles on her aching clit.

He pauses all too soon, and she almost screams at him not to stop. "Beg me," he urges her, and she wonders if mind-reading is one of those powers that he hinted at earlier.

"Please, Loki," she moans. She doesn't have the will to resist him, she just wants to finally, _finally_, please God (of Mischief), be allowed to come.

He presses on her just a bit harder, just a bit faster, and slides his tongue into her, and her legs are shaking so hard she feels like she can barely stand. She has to fight to lock her knees, and Loki's arm wraps around her hip, part holding her up and part keeping her from escaping.

Jane burrows her head into the crook of her arm, trying to muffle her noises just in case Darcy and Erik have already come back – she can't hear anything over the roar of blood in her ears.

He takes it up one more level, and it doesn't take her too much longer to climax. Hell, she doesn't even know how she lasted this long, considering she's been aroused on and off (and then on again) so many times over the course of the last twenty-four hours or so.

When she can move and think again, she pushes slowly up onto her elbows, looking in the mirror. He's already standing behind her, meeting her eyes with a lewd expression as he licks clean the pads of his fingers with slow relish.

His eyes shift, and Jane realizes he's focusing instead on the bite-mark on her neck, now visible since her scarf was displaced sometime during all the festivities. Jane shrugs inwardly and starts to pull her clothes back on, the rustle behind her indicating that Loki is doing the same.

When they are both dressed, he steps forward until he's pressed up against her back again, and his fingertips pull her scarf aside, stroking gently across the mark. Half a second later, it's gone. Jane's eyes widen in surprise, and her fingers go reflexively to touch the spot, her fingertips brushing against his where they still rest on her neck.

Then she frowns. She can't see it, but it's still there; she can feel the small scabs even now. She looks back into the mirror to meet Loki's gaze again. "Unfortunately, I do not possess the ability to heal another," he says, "but I can hide the evidence, at least, so that you do not have to. Perhaps there may come a time when you can wear my marks openly, but I can appreciate that such a time is not yet come."

Possessed by a sudden impulse, Jane turns and hugs him, pressing her face into his chest. For a moment he stands as still as a marble statue, and Jane feels something inside her freeze, as well, wondering if she's crossed some line, shown more emotion than he will tolerate within the bounds of their arrangement. Too late to undo it, however.

"Thank you," she says. Though again, there's that other side of her, whispering nervously: _'Wear my marks'?_

_He giveth, and he taketh away,_ she says to herself. It figures.

She feels his hand touch her hair, stroking softly, and he seems to relax a little against her. She can't help feeling that this is something of a victory.

Outside, though the sky is clear and cloudless, low thunder mutters ominously.


	6. The Calm Before the Storm Ch 2

**The Calm Before the Storm (2/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: October 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Thor and Loki go all caveman over one Dr. Jane Foster. And she is NOT amused.**

**Beta: As usual, much love and Loki!costumes to the awesome canyr12.**

**Disclaimer: So not mine. And that makes me want to cry!**

**Author's Note: I have not read any of the comics (nor is it likely I will ever find the time to do so), thus this is all based on movie canon. **

**And apologies to my readers for the long delay…apparently Loki and Thor had a LOT to say to each other! *glares at them***

Loki's head jerks up, looking towards the bathroom's tiny window. Jane doesn't know what he's seeing – the window is frosted, after all - but whatever it is he's reacting to, he doesn't seem to like it.

"What is it?" she asks, tugging gently at his arm.

He seems to suddenly remember she's there with him. "Nothing of concern to you, my Jane," he says. The words themselves come out sounding rather rude, but his fingers caressing softly down her cheek take any sting out of them.

"I must leave you now," he says, and he steps away from her, conjuring his helmet back into existence. Jane feels sudden anxiety grab her by the gut and shake her. _Something is wrong, _she realizes.

"Loki, what-" she starts, but he cuts her off.

"Remain here," he orders her, his voice hard and commanding. "Go about your usual tasks. There is nothing at all for you to concern yourself with."

Then he's gone between one eye-blink and the next.

Jane clenches her fists, taking a deep breath. Whatever is going on, there's nothing she can do about it. Anything that can make Loki nervous– he hadn't seemed _scared_, right? – is almost certainly not something Jane can help him with.

Or so she keeps telling herself. She checks her clothes and face in the mirror one last time, then pushes the door to the bathroom open, just as Darcy and Erik are coming through the front door of the lab.

She tries to hold a casual conversation with them as she helps them unpack the groceries, taking the bag of Doritos Darcy had bought her. But her mind is elsewhere, her nerves all tangled up in knots. Where has Loki gone? And what the hell is going on?

Out of the blue, she realizes Darcy is staring at her. "Jane, are you OK? Usually you have the bag of chips half-empty within the first five minutes." She gestures at the Doritos.

"Um, yeah. I'm….not really hungry. Actually, I'm not feeling so hot," Jane mutters. It's not far from the truth.

"I hear there's a stomach flu going around," Erik says. "Maybe you should go and rest in your trailer, Jane?"

_That's not a bad idea,_ Jane realizes. Let's face it, she probably won't get much done here at the lab, not with the way she feels right now. Even going over today's classified ads for apartments, something which she's been finding to be a nice break from the research work at times, doesn't really appeal to her right now.

And she can do without Erik and Darcy's worried looks. They mean well, and she can certainly understand their curiosity, but of course she can't actually _tell_ them what's going on with Loki. So avoiding them until she works this out is probably the path of least resistance.

"I think I will, actually. I'll take some notes with me and work on some stuff in bed, if I feel up to it later. Thanks." She gives them both a quick hug and gathers some notes.

It has suddenly become very dark outside, with angry grey clouds moving quickly overhead, and Jane stops just before pushing the door of the lab open. Even though it's a really _really _short walk from the lab to her trailer, lightning has always made Jane anxious.

Plus the second-guessing has already begun, and she's starting to feel like an idiot. _Had_ Loki actually been nervous? Maybe that had all been in her head. So what if he'd seemed distracted, had put on his helmet…that didn't necessarily mean something _bad_ was happening. Maybe she should just stay right here and go back to work.

Heck, maybe it's another of his tricks, an attempt to mess with her in a new way. Perhaps he's _trying_ to make her worry, to unsettle her, so that she'll be all the more happy to give in to whatever kinky schemes he comes up with next. She wouldn't put it past him.

In the end, she decides that she needs the privacy right now. She says goodbye to Darcy and Erik, both of them so absorbed in arguing good-naturedly about the fresh bread (should it stay on the counter or go into the freezer?) that they almost don't notice her leaving. Taking one last uneasy glance up at the sky, Jane walks quickly towards the trailer.

She has to stop for a moment to fumble with her keys, but she freezes when she hears voices. Two of them, male, and both of them familiar, coming from the other side of the trailer. She presses her hand to her mouth, eyes widening. _Oh my God._

Loki. And Thor.

She can't make out what they're saying, so she puts her notes down, placing a big rock on top them so they won't blow away, and she edges slowly along the side of the trailer, peeking around the corner. Nothing, they must be behind it, so she moves closer to the sound of their voices, inch by inch, until she can peer around the back corner of the trailer. She's not sure why she's trying to sneak up on them, exactly, but it seems like the right thing to do, under the circumstances.

But it's so weird, because even once she gets to what should be the right position, she can still see _nothing_. There's only the empty desert behind her trailer, though something seems to be wrong with the air. Jane's not sure how to describe it even to herself; it seems to be shimmering, and though that's not unusual in a desert, this shimmer seems _strange_ to her, unnatural.

She can still hear them, though, they should be right _there_, and Jane shakes her head and squints, focusing on the spot where their voices seem to be coming from. Is this another of Loki's tricks?

She squints until her eyes water, concentrating as hard as she can, and just as her head is starting to ache from the strain, there's a sudden _shift_ in her vision. She can finally see them, confronting each other, both of them in full armour, Thor holding his hammer. Loki looks like he's unarmed, but Jane doesn't think he's any less dangerous. He's pacing back and forth slowly in front of Thor, a malicious smile on his face.

Jane hasn't seen him look like that, not since the beginning, when he'd been playing the menacing stalker. It makes something uncomfortable twist in her gut.

"I'll ask you again, Loki. What have you done with Jane?" Thor snarls, and he hefts the hammer – Mjölnir, Erik said it was called, Jane remembers, though why would she be remembering something so unimportant at a time like this?

Loki's answering laugh is low and vicious. "Your precious Jane Foster. You left her all alone. What did you expect would happen? I did tell you I would 'visit' her." He cocks his head. "Perhaps she is not as important to you as you would have her believe?"

"Such matters are between her and me," Thor snaps. "I'll ask you _yet_ again, brother-"

"Are you slow?" Loki snarls back. "We are not brothers. We never were, and we never shall be. Especially not now." He smiles again, but it's so fierce that it makes Jane shiver. "As for Jane Foster….she is mine now, _brother_. She was yours, but you did not take the opportunity when it was presented, and how could I not take advantage? So I now know her far more…._intimately_ than you ever have. Does that burn you?"

Thor growls and raises Mjölnir higher, but Loki only laughs louder. "If you have hurt her-" Thor threatens.

"Does it haunt your dreams at night, Thor? Do you picture your beloved moaning, _screaming_ as I…._torture_ her? Is that why you are finally here to _save_ her from me?"

Jane wonders if Loki is being deliberately vague, that maybe he wants Thor to think that he has been hurting her, rather than sleeping with her. And if so, _why_.

It's a side of him Jane has never really seen before. Sure, he'd been threatening and angry back in the days when he'd been stalking her, but even compared to that, this is a new level of vicious. She almost doesn't recognize him (assuming she really knows him to begin with, which she's starting to wonder about, frankly), and she finds herself questioning once again just how much of the evil he's supposedly committed in the past is all true.

And yet…it doesn't seem to match up. Not with the man (god) she's been sleeping with these past few weeks.

Thor takes a step forward, towards Loki, every line of his body poised to attack, but Loki seems unconcerned. There's a low rumble above her, and when she looks up the storm clouds are moving way too fast, circling in ominous patterns.

But Loki is taunting Thor again. "Jealous, _brother_? As I recall, you have tasted but one set of her lips. But I have tasted _both_ sets of them. And I would be hard-pressed to say which of them was the sweeter."

Jane's jaw almost comes unhinged. _I can't _believe_ he just said that…_Neither can Thor, apparently, because he bellows like an enraged bulland charges right at Loki-

And then blunders right through him, because the Loki Thor and Jane have been watching turns out to be merely one of Loki's illusions.

"Over here, brother," Loki taunts, materializing in a new place. He laughs mockingly. "What ails you, Thor? Am I stealing your _thunder_?"

"You are going to pay dearly for what you have done to her," Thor rages, and then throws his hammer at the new Loki.

The same thing happens again, though. The hammer impacts, and the fake Loki shatters away to nothing.

"As I once observed, are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki's voice comes from yet another place, but this time there are no duplicates, only a voice hanging in the air.

"Come out and face me, coward!" Thor bellows, and a bolt of lightning flashes across the sky. Too late, Jane wonders if it's actually a good idea for her to be here.

"Perhaps you are beginning to see the merits of being a magic-user?" Loki's voice continues, seeming to come from several places at once. "You and the others, you always looked down on me for my magecraft. Called my spells _woman's magic_. And yet, who has the upper hand now? You, with all your strength – useless, against that which you cannot _see_." He laughs darkly again.

"I have my own magic, Loki," Thor points out. He raises the hammer high overhead, and a sudden bolt of lightning careens down from the sky, crashing all around him-

The shock of it strikes Jane hard, throwing her down into the dirt, her ears ringing. Sluggishly, she shakes her head, fighting to get back to her feet.

When she finally staggers back to her previous position, she sees that Thor's ploy has worked. Loki has appeared again in the flesh, kneeling in the dirt in front of Thor.

"Tell me where she is, Loki. Now!" Thor rumbles. He raises the hammer again, and it looks like he's about to bring it down right on Loki's horned head.

At which point Jane decides she's seen enough. "Stop, Thor! I'm here!" She scrambles forward, trying to get there before any more damage is done.

Thor turns, lowering Mjölnir and smiling at her in relief. But Jane switches her gaze quickly to Loki, whose head jerks in her direction. He looks startled at first, and then it seems like a million emotions she can't read are flickering over his face, rapid as Thor's lightning strike.

Jane doesn't stop to think, she just runs over to Loki's side and drops to her knees in the smoking dirt. "Loki, are you-?"

"What are you doing here, woman?" he asks harshly. "Did I not tell you-"

"Jane?" Thor cuts in, and Jane looks up to see confusion and shock on Thor's face. Then his expression hardens. "What have you done to her, brother? Are you controlling her mind?"

Loki sneers over Jane's shoulder at Thor. "I did not need to, _brother_."

"You are lying," Thor scoffs. "Jane would never willingly-"

"Would you both stop talking about me like I'm not even here?" Jane snaps angrily, and now both of them look at her, both their expressions five parts confusion and one part puzzlement.

"I'm not being mind-controlled, Thor," Jane insists, getting to her feet. It doesn't help matters much; it reminds her too vividly of the last time she saw him, and part of her aches at the memory of that kiss. But one tender kiss did not make up for everything that had come after.

Or rather, everything that had _not_ come after.

"I thought you were never coming back, Thor," she tries to explain calmly. "And then, when I heard about the Battle of Manhattan and that you had been here on Earth, and you hadn't even taken the time to say hello, well…." She shrugs. "What was I supposed to think?"

Thor stares at her for a long moment. "I made sure the Son of Coul put you somewhere safe, so that _he _could not harm you-" Thor glares over at Loki again "-that was my main concern-"

"I know that, and I appreciate it. Really, I do. But once the battle was over, you didn't even pick up a fucking _phone_, Thor." Despite her best efforts, her voice is rising, the anger she's trying to hold back starting to surface again.

"I needed to get Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard as soon as possible, Jane. Surely you can understand and forgive-"

"Not strictly true," Loki pipes up behind them, getting to his feet with a bitten-off groan and shaking the dust off his green cloak. "What about your little foray for _shawarmo_, or whatever that Midgardian meat was called?"

This is news to Jane. She stares at Loki, blinks, then looks over at Thor again.

"_What?_" Her anger goes up another level.

"How do you even know of that, Loki?" Thor asks, seeming to forget for the moment all about their audience.

Loki snorts derisively. "My mortal guards at SHIELD liked to talk. They found it amusing, the idea of the 'superhero brigade having a snack', as they put it."

Loki turns back to Jane, the malicious glint back in his eyes. "Oh yes, he had time for a brief repast, before hauling me back before the All-Father. But not the time to deign to speak to the woman he claims to _love_," Loki continues gloatingly. "Isn't that interesting, my dear Jane?"

"Be silent," Thor rasps, raising the hammer again in threat, but Jane steps between them, too angry with both of them now to think about her own personal safety. "Is it true?" she asks Thor, her voice rising even further. Soon the trailer windows will shatter, at this rate.

"Oh, it's true," Loki says conspiratorially. "He had his mortal lackeys put me in a cell, then he pushed me down on the floor and laid Mjölnir on my chest, knowing I could not lift it. And then he went off to carouse with his new allies, leaving me for the mortals to stare and laugh at." Loki cocks his head. "Some things do not change, no matter the Realm."

There's a certain bitterness in Loki's voice, and Jane thinks she can understand why, but that's for later. Right now, she wants to hear Thor _say_ it. "Did you actually take the time to go and hang out with the Avengers, before returning to Asgard?" she asks, anger burning hot in her chest.

Thor looks ashamed now, and that tells Jane everything she needs to know. "I am sorry, Jane. I did not think to contact you. I was exhausted, and at the time, I suppose I assumed that with the Tesseract in Asgardian hands, that I would be able to come back much sooner. I did not know that Odin would forbid any further use of it. And without a working Bifröst still…" He pauses, then looks at Jane pleadingly. "Can you not understand, my love? I am the heir to Asgard's throne, and thus I must put my own desires and needs aside, in the face of making sure the Realms are protected. I wanted to be with you, but there were larger things at stake. I thought that you would understand."

Jane finds herself shaking her head. It makes sense from a logical standpoint. Of course making sure Earth was safe from Loki and the aliens should have been Thor's first priority. Of course getting back to Asgard with the Tesseract should have overridden all other concerns. Her intellect totally agrees.

But her heart? That's a different story. If Asgard and Earth came before her then, how many times in the future might the same thing repeat itself?

Truth is, Jane is tired of being the second (or third, or _sixth_) priority in someone else's life. In fact, isn't that part of the reason why she wound up with Loki, in a twisted way? He has no one else but her, right?

Which reminds her of something else. She turns to Loki. "You knew about this, and you didn't bother to tell me?" she asks angrily.

Loki shrugs indifferently. "What would have been the point? To increase your pain and anger? You already were not pleased with Thor. What would such an admission gain me?"

Jane glares at him. "Guess what, Loki? It's not all about you-"

"Jane," Thor cuts in, anger and impatience starting to edge his own words, "can you not see that I did all I could? I came the moment I realized that Loki was here, and that he could be a danger to you-"

But that admission only fuels her anger, which is probably not what Thor is going for. "So, what you're telling me now is that I'm not really that important to you, unless you think you have to rescue me? Wow, that's really not helping your case. I've been here waiting the _whole_ time, looking for a way to get to you, and you only remember I exist when you think I'm a damsel in distress?"

Thor is starting to look irritated himself, and Jane glances over at Loki to see him smirking, his gaze moving between the two of them as if he is watching the world's funniest tennis match. "Try not to look so amused, brother," Thor growls, and Loki's delight becomes even more obvious. "Why should I not be?" he retorts. "Everyone in Asgard fawns over your every gesture and word, thinking that you can do no wrong. Finally, someone sees you for what you are. No, I shall truly enjoy every precious moment of this, _brother_."

Thor hefts his hammer, his eyes darkening in anger, and steps around Jane. "I do not think that you and I can have a reasonable discussion about this at the present time, Jane Foster. I think it best if Loki and I settle this first, in our own fashion."

Loki gestures, his grin widening, and suddenly he's holding two glowing daggers. "To the victor go the spoils?"

_He's talking about_ me, Jane realizes. _I'm the 'spoils'_. Her militant feminist side starts yelling and screaming at the indignity, and Jane barely restrains the urge to do the same out loud. "Now, wait one _minute_-"

Loki frowns at her. "This is no place for fragile mortals." He makes a sharp gesture with one hand, and suddenly Jane's vision goes white.

She blinks and squints, her eyes watering. When her vision finally clears, everything has changed. Her trailer is gone, Loki and Thor are gone, and she's standing all alone…on the exact opposite edge of town.

"You son of a bitch!" she yells in frustration, to nobody in particular. The empty desert at her back shimmers, seeming to mock her with its silence.

_I'm not some piece of meat for them to fight over like cave-men_. She's going to put a stop to this stupidity. Taking a deep steadying breath, she starts running, heading back into town, back towards her trailer.

Ahead of her, she can see bolts of lightning sizzling down from the sky, feel the crashing boom of the thunder shaking the earth beneath her feet. All around her, the people on the street are hurrying for cover.

Jane's lungs and legs soon start to ache, forcing her down to a fast walk. She notices that people are staring at her as she rushes by. More than she would have expected, considering everyone else is moving just as fast, trying to get out from under the black clouds.

She slows and glances into a store window, finally noticing the big smear of dirt down one of her cheeks, and the mud smeared across her shirtfront. It probably happened during Thor's initial lightning attack on Loki. She wipes at her cheek and swipes at her clothing distractedly, and tries to speed back up to a slow run at the very least.

Another bolt of lightning arcs down from the sky, and it gives her pause for a second. Maybe Loki has a point. She almost got hurt already, she's not a god, and the next lightning strike could well kill her. Maybe she should just wait for the fireworks to end?

But after fidgeting for a full minute, she decides she can't just wait on the sidelines. She doesn't know if Thor can or would kill Loki, or vice-versa, but she doesn't want either of them to die, and she doesn't really want them to fight over her either. Maybe that's how they settle disputes in Asgard, but this is _her _backyard and they'd better follow _her _rules.

Or so she repeats over and over to herself, trying to run all-out again, for as long as her body can take it. _I really need to start exercising more._

The storm is winding down just as Jane finally gets close enough to see her trailer. _I don't know if that's a good sign, _she realizes, stumbling over her own feet as she races around behind the trailer. At least the trailer itself is still here, and seems intact.

She races around it, but skids to a clumsy stop once she realizes that Loki's cloaking spell is still in place, and that they are hidden from view again. Assuming they're even still here. But the unnatural shimmer still hangs in the air, so Jane figures Loki must be around at the very least. She leans over, bracing her hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath, then she narrows her eyes and tries once again to 'see' through the layers of illusion.

Shooting pains lance through her temples, but she doesn't stop, staring at the last place she saw them and willing herself to _see_.

When she can finally get her eyes to pierce the veil, the sight that greets her doesn't reassure. Loki is sitting heavily on the ground, his face bruised, cut and bloodied, and he's cradling his left side. Thor, looming over him, seems to have fared better, even though his face is bruised too, and he has two daggers stuck into him, one in his shoulder and the other in his left side. Two other bloodied daggers lie discarded in the sand.

"Do you yield, Loki?" Thor is asking, raising Mjölnir threateningly over his head.

Loki starts to snarl defiantly, but then spots Jane. For a moment, pure rage twists his face, but then he calms himself with a visible effort. "Stay your lightning, brother, lest you injure the object of our mutual affections."

Jane moves forward with angry strides. "'Object'?! You're fucking _kidding_ me, right? I am not some piece of property for you two cavemen to knock each other's teeth out over."

There's astonishment on both their faces, and Jane realizes that not only does she need to learn what the parts of Loki's armour are called, but also how Asgardian society treats their women. Seeing Sif fight the Destroyer had led Jane to believe that Asgard was fairly liberal-minded about women if it allowed them to be warriors, but she's now starting to think that Sif is perhaps an anomaly.

"Jane-" Thor starts.

"No!" she shouts, totally out of patience, "You're both being _idiots_, and I've had enough. Fighting is not how _civilized_ people settle things, at least not on planet Earth."

"You could have fool-" Loki starts to remark acidly.

Jane cuts him off with a glare. "You, shut _up_! And you are going to stay right there. I am going to have a private conversation with your brother. Come on, Thor."

"Be warned, Thor. If you take her from me," Loki scowls, "it will be the last act-"

"Loki, _shut up_, for the love of Pete!" Jane yells at the top of her lungs, and Loki finally does shut up, glowering and sour-faced. Well, she'll get to him in a moment.

She stalks away from the trailer, stiff with rage. She doesn't look behind her, as if she expects Thor to follow her without argument (and given how angry she feels right now, he'd _better_ fucking follow her!). Still, part of her can't believe she just told two gods – Loki_,_ in particular! – off, but most of her just hopes this can be straightened out without someone killing someone else.

Slow footsteps sound behind her, but Jane keeps moving until she feels they have enough privacy. Too late, it occurs to her that Loki can probably eavesdrop easily enough if he wants to, but then she decides she doesn't really care. She's not planning on saying anything she wouldn't be comfortable with him hearing; this is mainly to keep them from setting each other off again.

She turns to face Thor at last, taking a deep breath, fighting for her own internal calm. Again, she notices the daggers sticking out of him. "Don't those _hurt_?"

Thor glances at them, then pulls them out, barely wincing, and tosses them away.

Jane takes another deep breath. "Look, Thor, I do appreciate that you came to rescue me when you thought I was in danger from Loki. And that you asked Coulson to make sure I was safe – Erik told me Coulson left a note, addressed to me personally, about that." Jane isn't sure why he'd done it – maybe to try to make up for 'borrowing' her work back when Thor first came to Earth? - but she'll never know for sure. "I even understand why you had to put the safety of everyone else before everything, even contacting me."

Thor looks like he's going to say something, but Jane holds up her hand. She understands why he did it, why he acted like that. She has enough data to figure the problem out….sadly, he probably won't like the solution.

"But it's not enough for me, I'm sorry," she continues. "I waited, and I waited, and then you were here but only for something else, and then you were gone again. I didn't have any clue if you even still felt anything for me-"

"The Son of Coul told you nothing else?" Thor's eyebrows rise.

"His message said only that you wanted me to be protected, but that was _all_. How was I to know you still _loved_ me? For all I knew at the time, maybe you just wanted to protect the one mortal who could build a Rainbow Bridge on Earth."

Thor turns away from her, muttering darkly. "Perhaps it is good, then, that the Son of Coul is dead. Else I would have to-"

"Can you focus, _please_?" Jane snaps. "This is hard enough as it is. Look, I am trying to tell you that I understand, and that I forgive you…but that it's too late for us."

Thor shakes his head, but Jane pushes on before she feels any worse than she already does. "You were gone, and I was all alone…and then Loki was here. I'll admit, he wasn't…._kind_ to me at first," -_Yeah, understatement of the century-_ "but after awhile, we, I don't know, we warmed to each other, I guess. And now we're, um, _involved_. I can't go back."

Thor moves to stand in front of her, putting gentle hands on her shoulders. "Can you not see, Jane, how Loki is manipulating you? I know him well, much better than you, in the brief time you have known him. Can you truly believe that he is more trustworthy than I? I have never known Loki to cleave to any one woman longer than-"

"From what I've read in the mythology, you're _both_ players. So I wouldn't exactly call that a disadvantage that's limited only to him," Jane points out.

Thor shakes his head again, obviously deciding to try another tack. "Do you not think that he might be using you as part of a larger plan to attack Midgard again?"

Jane closes her eyes and sighs. How can she explain to Thor, without getting too far into the realm of TMI? The last thing she wants to do is try to explain what a good dominant Loki has been…in his own way. "If he was trying to manipulate me, I think he'd have been much more accommodating than he has. He's…not an easy person, and we've had some difficult moments, but overall he's been good to me." She pulls away from Thor, staring out across the desert.

"That's also how I know he's not controlling my mind," she adds. "I've stood up to him plenty, which I doubt would have happened, or he would allow, if I was being controlled. Besides, Erik told me what it was like. That it was like watching himself from a distance, seeing himself do and say things as if it was someone else doing it all….that's not how I feel, not at all."

"He won't tell me exactly what he's dealing with," she explains further, after a long hesitant pause, "but he's clearly a man in tremendous pain. And, rightly or wrongly, I think he feels very alone. He _needs_ me. And…I think I need him." She hadn't planned on saying all this, and she wonders again if Loki could be hearing everything. And if so, how he will react.

Thor is silent, and Jane finds her monologue continuing: "And I don't really know why he would want to _use_ me. Without the Tesseract, I have no power source strong enough to fuel an Einstein-Rosen bridge. My knowledge is effectively useless. So unless he's planning on stealing it from Asgard at some point in the near future, he's wasting a lot of time and effort on me, and all for nothing." She's never really thought about it before, but the moment she puts it into words, it has the ring of truth. In the grand scheme of things, who is she? Nobody very important. Or at least, not important to anybody planning to take over anything. As far as she knows.

"I can appreciate that you want to protect me," she finishes, going back to Thor and putting her hand on his arm. "But I'm an adult, and I can make my own decisions." _Even if they're bad ones. _"I don't think I can be in a relationship with someone who is going to put everything and everyone else before me all the time. That's who you are, who you _have_ to be, and there's nothing _wrong _with it, not at all, but it's just not something that I can see myself wanting to deal with. And maybe Loki isn't the right person for me, either. Maybe you're right about Loki, and this is all some game to him, and ultimately I won't be that important to him, either….but I don't think so. " It's a weak ending, but Jane has finally run out of things to say.

Thor is a wonderful man (god), but her time as his love interest had been more lonely than satisfying. Compare that to her current 'arrangement' with Loki, and things are working out much better for her. At least for right now.

Thor meets her eyes, a very serious expression on his face. "Do you love him, Jane?"

She turns away from Thor to stare out across the desert again. Somehow, it keeps coming back to this, doesn't it?

"I don't know," she finally says. "I wonder sometimes if that is even where this is going. You're totally right, there's lots about him that I don't know, and he doesn't seem all that comfortable discussing personal stuff with me." _Yet another understatement of the century. Maybe of the damned _millennium.

She pauses to think, Thor waiting silent and patient behind her.

Finally, she turns back to him. "If he wanted more, if he wanted this thing between him and I to become something _serious_, I would definitely be open to that. That's really all I can say." From the corner of her eye, she thinks she sees a strange ripple in the air, but when she turns to glance that way, there's nothing. _Maybe- probably- Loki _is _listening in._ Jane's not sure how she feels about that. _Will he still be there when I go back? This is the guy who nearly had a heart attack when I hugged him. I'm sure any suggestion of a serious relationship, and he'll teleport out of here so fast, the sonic boom will flatten Isabella's diner._

Thor nods slowly, his eyes sad. "Then I thank you, Jane Foster, for trying to explain it to me as best you can. And I wish you luck with my wayward brother." Jane searches for sarcasm in his voice, but there is none. He seems sincere, and Jane feels a sharp pang in her heart as he comes towards her, raising her hand gently to his lips and kissing it. He's a good man, and she wishes things were different, but that ship has sailed.

"If you decide, in the end, that you would like to give us another try, if I am myself still looking for Asgard's queen…" He lets the sentence trail off, giving her a warm smile tinged with sadness.

_Asgard._ Abruptly, an unwelcome thought occurs to Jane. "You have to take him back to Asgard, don't you? Now that you've found him." Maybe she's about to be abandoned by Loki after all. Just not by his choice.

Thor frowns and looks down at Jane's hand, still held lightly within his. He seems to be thinking very hard. "Let me speak with Loki, privately. Perhaps some other arrangement is possible."

They make their way back to Loki, Jane lagging a little behind, almost afraid of what they might find. But he seems to be in the exact same position as he was before, except for his helmet lying discarded on the ground. Jane's not sure she trusts that, however. He probably was listening in. Mind you, if he was, and he's still here, isn't that a good sign?

_Unless he's too injured to make his escape,_ the traitorous part of her mind offers.

He glowers up at both of them. "Well?" he asks bitterly. "Should I start thinking now about an appropriate nuptial gift for Thor and Jane Odinson?"

Jane rolls her eyes, her hesitance immediately turning into irritation. "I chose _you_, you moron. Don't make me regret it." The quickly-buried flash of surprise on his face shocks her, though she manages not to show it. Clearly, Loki did not expect Thor to be the loser in this scenario.

Or, he heard everything she just said to Thor, and he's just a really good actor. _Really_ good.

"Come, brother, we must have words," Thor is saying, moving past her and reaching down to help Loki to his feet. "Will you excuse us, Jane?"

She doesn't want to leave them alone, but she decides Thor might be onto something; having all three of them in the same conversation seems to be a flashpoint for Loki. Besides, maybe she can take a page from Loki's book.

So she only nods in agreement, and walks back around the trailer. She retrieves her notes from under the rock, unlocks the door and walks in, then heads straight for the window where the air-conditioning unit is. Usually she curses how easily noise gets into the trailer from here – it's one of the reasons she lives on the edge of town – but now it will finally be useful!

"Congratulations, brother," Thor is saying, his voice quiet. "Jane is a fine woman."

"I suppose this is where you tell me that if I break her heart, that you will see to it that I pay dearly?" Loki remarks sarcastically.

Momentary silence, and Jane can picture Thor shaking his head. "I would think that if you were to lose her, that would be payment enough." Jane feels bad for Thor all over again, but not very much. Not really.

"Is that not what is about to occur, _brother_? Take me back to Asgard, and you force Jane to be alone again. Is that what you are hoping for? Keep us apart, and she will decide to give you yet another chance?" Loki laughs bitterly.

"No, Loki. I would prefer not to bring pain to her." There's a long pause. "Perhaps you could just return for a brief time, attempt to reconcile with Father? If there would be peace between you, I have no doubt that he would allow you to return to spend time here with Jane. Or perhaps even allow her to come to Asgard."

"Asgard is no longer my home," Loki rasps indignantly.

"There are those back home who _love_ you, Loki-" Thor tries.

"Oh _really_?" Loki retorts. "Who does, exactly? Our _dear_ friends, who look down their noses at my magic? I made Sleipnir for Fath- _Odin,_ as a gift, and they start that vicious rumour that I made the horse by turning into a mare and mating with a stallion? I was the laughing stock of Asgard for a score of fortnights after. Even the humans picked up the tale!" Another bitter laugh. "Yes, that is _love_."

"Loki-"

But Loki isn't done. "Our sainted mother, who knew all along what I really am. But she never told me. So either she agreed with Father, and his plans for me, or she didn't, but she didn't love me enough to tell me the truth!"

'_Really am'?_ Jane wonders. What the hell does that mean?

"And the All-Father…where do I begin? He steals me from my true home, hides my origins from me, raises me to think I am of Asgard when I am not, that I am a possible heir to the throne, when I am _not_….and when his ruse is finally discovered, rather than face me, talk to me, he falls into the Odin-Sleep?" Another laugh that is utterly empty of humour. "Convenient, is it not?"

"Loki," Thor insists, "You know that Odin is not in control of the Sleep-"

"A lie," Loki hisses. "He was in enough control of it to put it off all those years. Then, he's faced with the undoing of all his plans, and it claims him at that precise moment? During my moment of need? The act of a true _coward_!"

"Please, Loki, do not speak of our father that way-"

"YOUR FATHER!" Loki all but screams, and Jane clenches her fists, wondering if she'll need to go out there again and break up yet another pitched battle.

But deafening silence follows, and after a long, tense moment, Jane wonders if Loki has teleported himself (or perhaps both him and Thor) away.

"I do not contest that Odin has made mistakes. That Frigga has made mistakes. That _I_ have made mistakes," Thor says at last, quietly.

"Oh, so you admit to that? How generous of you. Do you even know what those mistakes _are_, my brother?" Loki asks maliciously.

"I would guess that my most recent error in judgment was humiliating you in front of the mortals, by trapping you under Mjölnir."

Loki scoffs. "And I am supposed to forgive _all_, just because you are able to recognize one? One that I just reminded you of mere moments ago, no less?"

"We are brothers. It is inevitable that we will fight. That we will do things to cause each other embarrassment, either by accident or out of mischief. Have you forgotten all the ways you have caused _me_ pain over the long years, my brother? But I still love you," Thor pleads. "As do Frigga and Odin. Their mistakes do not negate the fact that they love you. They tried to do what they felt was best for you. Can you not at least credit them for that?"

"No, I cannot," Loki growls.

Thor sighs. "This is gaining us nothing."

"So now you force me home?"

"No, my brother," Thor answers.

"No? _What_, then?"

"I will leave you free. However, I have conditions. One, you will disperse the spell that keeps you hidden from Heimdall. Two, you may not leave Midgard. Three, you will do nothing at all to harm a mortal. _Any_ mortal. If Heimdall sees you doing anything to endanger a _single_ mortal, Jane or otherwise, then I shall return. And nothing Jane says will stay my rage."

There's another long pause. "I cannot agree to all. My cloaking spell must remain. Not because I wish to hide from Heimdall – at least, not any more. But there are others whom I would prefer to not know I am here."

"Your former allies?" Thor asks.

"If you wish to call them so. On that basis, I also cannot agree to stay on Midgard. If my 'allies' come for me, I will do all I can to escape. One experience of their…._hospitality_, was enough for a millennium."

"But as for harming the mortals," there's a pause, and Jane can picture Loki shrugging, "So long as they leave me in peace, so shall I leave them. And if they attack me first, I will promise to attempt to evade them only, rather than battling them. Does that meet with your approval, _brother_?"

Another pause, and then Thor answers: "Very well. I will trust you then, brother. But as Jane said to you earlier, 'Do not make me regret it'."

Loki scoffs. "And how will you explain to the All-Father why you let me go?"

"That is my affair," Thor says curtly. "Do not trouble yourself."

"Very well," Loki says.

There's a rustle, and Jane imagines Thor turning to leave.

"A moment more," Loki says. "There is one more urgent matter to be dealt with." Jane tenses, wondering if Loki is preparing to attack again, while Thor's guard seems down.

"What?" Thor asks, sounding as wary as Jane feels.

"You cannot tell your Avenger friends, tell SHIELD, that I am here on Midgard."

"And why is that?"

"Because they _will_ want to imprison me. I am not sure, in truth, why you are so eager to leave me free, but surely you can see that the mortals will not share your current feelings. For a similar reason, they also can never find out that Jane is associated with me."

"Surely they would not-"

"Oh, but they _would_. Remember when you first arrived on Midgard, and they took all of Jane's work from her? Surely they would do so again, if they discovered she is sharing my bed. They would do that, and worse."

'_Sharing his bed', might be a stretch,_ she thinks – they haven't actually slept in a bed together yet, not even _once_ - but the rest she can hardly argue with. Mainly because _she_ had said as much to him.

"She is innocent. They have no reason to harm her-"

"Of course she is, but somehow I doubt they would care. They would brand her a traitor, imprison her, take her life's meaning – her work – from her. You and the All-Father did not believe me when I explained all that made me attack Earth, why should they? They who suffered directly at my hands."

Is that remorse she's hearing? Jane wishes she could see Loki's face. And it's so strange, to hear the things she once said to Loki, now coming out of his mouth. Does he really care for her that much, or is it only that he prefers to keep others out of his business?

Or maybe, he just somehow knows she is listening.

"Like you, I would prefer that she does not suffer. So I must ask you, brother, to keep my association with her a secret. Do it not for me, but for _her_," Loki insists.

There's another long, nerve-wracking pause. "Very well," Thor says in the end, and Jane slowly lets out the breath that she hadn't even realized she was holding. "Fare thee well, Loki."

There's a final pause, and Jane imagines Loki deciding what to say, whether he dares to add a parting shot. "I will wish you luck with Odin," he finally says, and then there's nothing but the sound of footsteps in the sand. One set heads off away from the trailer, deep into the desert. The other set, moving slowly, haltingly, comes around to the front of the trailer.

_Remember, you're not supposed to have heard all that_, she coaches herself. She puts a worried expression on her face, and some distance between her and the window she was listening at.

The door is pushed open, Loki biting off a groan as he climbs slowly into the trailer, carrying his helmet.

He looks like five miles of bad road, and Jane's worried expression becomes genuine. He seems about two shades paler than usual, the bruises and cuts on his face a stark contrast. And there's no missing how he's favouring the ribs on his left side. He's a god and all, but how badly injured is he?

She rushes over to him, but then stops a foot or so away, not sure how to help him. This is quite a bit outside her experience. "Are you OK?"

"Do I look '_OK'_?" he rasps sarcastically. Weaving as if he's drunk, he makes his way over to her bed and sits on it. It creaks alarmingly, and Jane expects it to crumple under his weight at any time. She twists her hands together helplessly, watching him.

This is much more awkward than she anticipated.

He drops the helmet on her floor with a bang, and Jane can see there's a large dent in it. Could he have a concussion on top of everything else, and if so, does she dare take him somewhere for medical care?

"No, you don't….do we, I mean, should we go to a hospital?"

"Midgardian healing?" He snorts sardonically. "I am a god."

"I thought you couldn't heal," Jane says hesitantly. He's angry, and she's not sure what to do about that. Or if his anger is even directed at her or not.

"I can't heal _others_. I can heal myself, though it takes much effort, and will drain me of power."

"Oh," Jane says. He's staring at the floor, not looking at her. It's like being in the room with a stranger.

Steeling herself, she tries something else, going over to him and kneeling down in front of him, grasping one of his dirty, bruised-knuckled hands gently in both of hers. "I'm so glad to see you," she says softly. "I was so sure that Thor was going to drag you back to Asgard. That I'd never see you again."

Loki still doesn't look at her, instead his gaze seems locked now on her hand around his. He shakes his head slowly. "No, he decided that he would not. Though admittedly I am not sure _why_."

There's another long, uncomfortable silence, and Jane wracks her brain trying to figure out why there's this wall between them now. Because he overheard something from her that he didn't like? Because he thinks she overheard something from him that he didn't want her to?

Or maybe he doesn't want her any more. Jane feels a sudden chill at the thought.

_If he wants to end things between us then let him grow some balls and fucking _say_ so,_ she decides after another frozen moment between them. She's growing tired of waiting for him to take the initiative, so she lets go of his hand and gets to her feet. At least she can try to clean his wounds.

As she's fumbling through the tiny medicine chest in her tiny bathroom, another idea occurs to her. Probably a bad one, given how banged up he is, but if he does want to end their 'arrangement', it will probably force him to reveal that fact. Nothing is worse than sitting in this awkward silence, wondering if the other shoe is about to drop at any second.

She goes back into the kitchen, putting her duffle bag on the table and tossing her bandages, ointment, and other supplies into it. She thinks she feels Loki's eyes on her the whole time, watching her every move.

She checks to make sure there's a condom or two in the bag. Yes, there at the bottom.

Another thought pops into her head, and she pauses, considering it. On the one hand, he might go for it, in his present state. On the other, it might scare him off…well, she's willing to take that chance. If he bolts now, after all they've been through together already, well, then she has her answer, doesn't she?

She pulls the scarf from her neck – it's not like she needs it to hide the bite-mark any longer, thanks to Loki's magic - and it takes a little searching to find another usable scarf. Of course, Jane is sure both items are going to be too weak to really contain _him_, but it's more the principle of the thing.

Jane tosses both scarves into her bag, zips it shut, and turns to find Loki is indeed watching her, looking confused. "Do you have enough strength left to teleport us to a place where you can be more comfortable?" she asks, gesturing towards her sagging bed.

He raises an eyebrow, looking haughty. "I repeat once more, I am a _god_."

Jane just shakes her head and smiles to herself as she grabs the bag off the kitchen table, and comes over to take one of his hands. "Then let's go, my _god_," she teases gently.

He looks like he's about to say something else sniping, but then he shakes his head slightly and closes his eyes. Jane watches his face, the way his jaw tightens as if he is concentrating hard, his eyes moving rapidly behind his closed lids.

There's a sudden _shift_, a flash of blinding whiteness, and Jane probably would've fallen on her ass if not for his hand firmly wrapped around hers. She steadies herself, then looks around to see that they're both standing in yet another nondescript hotel room. _Yeah, I'm definitely getting an apartment. This is getting really really old._

"OK, let's get you cleaned up," she says, putting on her best businesslike tone.

"I said that I do not need your help," he reminds her arrogantly.

His current attitude is _also_ getting really old. Jane puts her hands on her hips, glaring up at him in challenge. "You know what? I've had enough of this. As of now, _I_ am in charge."

His expression darkens and he returns her glare-for-glare. "You do not command _me_."

"Today I do," she snaps right back. "That is, if you want to see any bedroom action with me for the next week. Maybe the next _month_."

His brow furrows angrily, but Jane continues right on, before he can whip out a stinging retort: "And you're damned lucky I'm even considering sleeping with you _at all_, given that whole 'two lips' thing you said to Thor about me."

"Damn." Loki drops his eyes. At least he has the grace to look ashamed. "That was not meant for your ears."

"I'll bet," Jane says. Actually, it's kind of weird; the more she thinks about that line, the more she realizes that yes, it had been obscene…but also oddly arousing. _Yeah, I'm definitely going to Hell. _"Are you fucking suicidal, or something, taunting Thor like that?"

Loki finally smiles at her, and Jane relaxes a bit, even though his grin is rather sly. "It is strategy, my Jane. An angry Thor is much more likely to miss with Mjölnir. And his fist."

Jane only smiles and shakes her head, then pushes gently on Loki's chest, trying to move him backwards towards the foot of the bed. For a long moment he resists, but she leans into it, not letting up, and he gives in and lets her guide him back.

"I'm surprised you even let him close enough to hit you," Jane says.

Loki shrugs as he backs up, then sits abruptly as his legs make contact with the bed. He groans, then shakes his head. "No choice. I am a fair hand with a throwing dagger, but they do relatively little damage through his armour." He grins again. "Besides, I _wanted _to get close enough to be able to strike him across the face."

Jane rolls her eyes. "_Men_."

"_Gods_," he corrects her, the familiar smirk finally reappearing.

"Like there's a difference? Both are way too full of themselves," Jane scoffs back. She ignores his offended look, taking his left wrist and turning it over, examining how his armour is fastened in place. "We need to get all this armour out of the way."

Loki is smirking again. "If you wish to play squire, Lady, I will not say no."

"Yeah, well, consider it a lesson. I want to know what all these armour pieces are called anyway. No time like the present."

This earns her another furrowed brow, but he doesn't say anything snarky, so she lets it go. First off go the wrist coverings ("bracers"), the belt and metal bits over his shoulder ("pauldron"), his boots and their stiff leather armour covering ("greaves"). Next Jane tackles his outer coat ("surcoat") and the underlying leather coat ("tunic") and attached "breastplate" (she guesses correctly on that one). She then helps him unlace and take off his shirt, then decides to stop there for the moment, washing the dust and dirt from his armour off her hands.

She winces at the sight of the huge black bruise on his left side. She touches him, gently, just above the top edge of the injury. "I'm guessing Mjölnir did that?"

"You guess correctly," Loki counters.

"Are your ribs broken?"

"Cracked, no doubt. But it is easily dealt with, I told you-"

"Yeah, yeah, big tough god doesn't need help from us mere mortals," Jane shoots back, but there's no real heat in it. Looking at the damage reminds her what caused it – _he fought to keep_ me. Her inner militant feminist hates it, but she's realizing that another part of her likes it just fine. Someone had fought for _her;_ Jane Foster, World's Sexiest Astrophysicist…except she _isn't_. And yet, Loki and Thor had fought to win her hand. It's actually kind of flattering, in a bizarre way.

She can't do much about his ribs, so she focuses instead on cleaning the dust and blood off his hands, then carefully cleans the cuts on his face. There's a nasty one across the bridge of his nose, and another bisecting his left eyebrow. She carefully avoids the dark purple bruise blooming across the left side of his jaw and chin.

She's sitting in his lap to accomplish her work, and through it all, Jane is aware of his arm curled around her, his fingers brushing almost absently up and down her side. His eyes never leave her face.

When she's done all she can, it's time for Part Two of her plan. She gets up off his lap. "Now, move up and lie down on the bed, on your back," she says as firmly as she can, as if she expects no argument about it.

He raises the undamaged eyebrow at her again, smirking, and doesn't move. She crosses her arms across her chest and stares at him defiantly, fully aware that even in his injured state, he's probably still strong enough to take her down, take what he wants from her (assuming he wants _anything _right now). But she's not going to back down.

After an eternity, he finally obeys, settling himself back on the bed with a groan. Before she changes her mind, Jane pulls off her shoes, grabs her scarves from the duffle bag, and kneels on the bed, straddling his hips. He grins lasciviously up at her. "To the loser go the spoils, apparently?" he asks.

Jane rolls her eyes. "Such a sweet-talker," she chides him. She takes hold of his right wrist, wrapping the scarf around it. She makes sure it isn't too tight, then knots the scarf. She pushes at his arm – he resists, just enough to tease that he knows just how thin her illusion of control is – until his hand is resting on the bed next to the pillow, and she wraps the free end of the scarf around the post of the headboard, taking up the slack, and knots it there.

Before she reaches for his free hand, she hesitates. _Can_ he raise his arm up, with probably-cracked ribs? She's no medical doctor, but it seems unlikely to her.

Maybe this _is_ a bad idea.

"Wait," he says. He closes his eyes, swallowing convulsively. Several long moments pass, during which he turns even paler, but before Jane's eyes, the bruise on his side gradually lightens in colour. By the time Loki opens his eyes again, the bruising has turned more yellow than purple. "There. That is all I can do for the moment, but it should suffice." Still, he winces a little as he holds his wrist out to her, waiting with amusement until Jane shakes herself out of staring at the miracle of his side.

She binds his left arm the same way, then sits back, still straddling his lean hips, studying her work. She is under no illusions – no pun intended – that he could easily break free if he wants to, but she's going to push forward with this as if he can't.

Jane kneels carefully on the bed next to his undamaged side, then starts to run her hands down along his slender body using the lightest of touches. She starts with his long hands, tracing aimless patterns over the palms with her fingertips, then down along the warm, sinewy muscles of his arms. They twitch and shift under her touch, just slightly.

She gives his taut shoulders a gentle massage, pressing lightly into the muscle, then runs her fingers up the sides of his neck and over his jaw, avoiding the bruised area. His eyes flutter closed, his eyelashes long and dark against pale skin, as her fingertips follow the sharp angles of his face. She slips a hand behind his head, twisting long black strands through her fingers, and then leans down to kiss him.

His lips open immediately under hers, and she takes the invitation, plunging her tongue into his mouth, tightening her grip on his hair….it seems, then, that everything is OK between them. At least as far as she can tell from this passionate kiss.

They finally pull apart to breathe, and Jane takes up where she left off, this time using her mouth instead of her hands. She kisses her way down his throat, pausing to lick a wet line across his Adam's apple, then down his chest, with another pause to lap teasingly at each flat disc of nipple. Still avoiding the bruises, she shifts down further, kissing and licking her way down his sternum and belly, tasting the salt of his skin, then following the sparse trail of black curls. He smells strongly of leather and musk, and Jane finds herself squeezing her thighs together. Part of her is stunned that he's even still here with her, that Thor hadn't taken him away. Or that Loki hadn't just made a break for it.

She lets her tongue trace slowly along the line of skin just above the waistband of his leather pants, as her hand lightly squeezes the obvious bulge of his arousal. "Wanton vixen," he hisses, pushing his hips up.

"Impatient, O God of Mischief? I'm just trying to go slowly and carefully….since you're injured and all," she teases, smirking at his _look_. She reaches for the lacing of his pants, undoing it as slowly as she can, taking the time to kiss and lick at every tiny bit of skin that is revealed after each lacing is pulled free.

"Keep teasing me, woman, and I will show you just how un-injured I am. Forcibly," he says in a rough purr that makes the heat pool in her stomach. She glances up, and his hands are curled into shaking fists around the scarves.

"Wouldn't you rather lie there and let me…pleasure you?" she points out. "Consider it a vacation, Loki." Still, she takes pity on him, and starts tugging the tight leather pants off his hips, then pulling them down his legs. No underwear, of course (would he be a boxer or a brief man, if he were human, she wonders), and his length springs free almost comically.

But Jane ignores both it and his affronted hiss, pulling his pants the rest of the way off, kissing and licking her way down as she goes, alternating between legs. She finally gets the pants all the way off, tossing them to the floor.

She looks up and Loki is watching her closely, a flush across his pale face. He licks his lips slowly, eyes narrowing dangerously at her. "Do I not get to _see_ what I have won?" He asks, looking pointedly at her still-fully-dressed figure.

Jane pretends to think about it, putting her hands on her hips. "Perhaps I should make _you_ beg." She points out.

He laughs loud and openly at that. "Taking your revenge, Jane Foster? Now, why does that leave me so unconcerned?" His eyes gleam at her, and he cocks his head, tugging a little at his bonds. Then he must decide to play along, because his voice drops back into a low, rough purr. "Please, my lady, remove your clothing. I wish to sample _those _sweet lips again."

It's not quite what she was aiming for, he's not exactly beggingthe way he makes_ her _beg, but hey, it's not like he has a bad idea. She gets off the bed and starts taking off her shirt, but slowly, as teasingly as she can. She goes button by button, swaying her hips slowly to a beat she imagines in her head, watching his cock twitch as she finally pulls the shirt off and tosses it away.

"What is that?" he asks, eyeing her bra. Jane realizes he's never encountered it before. Up until now, he's always come to her when she was already wearing pajamas, or they've had sex in a situation where there just hasn't been time to undress completely.

"A way to make you wait," she decides, leaving it on and popping the button on her jeans instead, ignoring his overdramatic, long-suffering sigh. Beyond that, he doesn't complain, watching with a slowly growing smirk as she shimmies out of her jeans. It's hard to make peeling athletic socks off sexy, but Loki's gaze is just as intent as she performs that action.

She leaves the panties on too, pretending indifference to his disappointed expression, then she climbs back onto the bed, crawling between his legs.

"Don't worry, Loki. I'll entertain you while you wait," she says with her own smirk. And then she licks a wet line up along the underside of his shaft, flicking her tongue across the tip of him as she finishes the stroke, and Loki groans in a way Jane finds very encouraging.

She teases him quite awhile that way, dragging her tongue in wet lines all along the length of him, caressing his balls with the tips of her nails. The muscles in his thighs flex and tighten, his breathing getting faster and the sweat beading on his skin, his heavy shaft seeming to swell further under her lips. His gaze is positively feral as he watches her every move.

At one point, after his shaft is glistening, she stops and blows lightly on it, smiling at the way he jerks in response. _Well, I guess they don't call it a _blow_job for nothing._ She does it a few more times, between teasing him in other ways, just to watch him jerk and bite his lip in response. _Tease_, his eyes accuse her. _And you love it,_ she retorts silently right back.

Without giving him any warning, she wraps her hand around the base of him and takes him deep into her mouth. He yelps in a way that Jane finds utterly hilarious, and she can't help giggling around him. "Oh yes, you are a _tease_," he hisses out loud this time, as threateningly as he can manage between gasps. "And you had best be careful, _tease_, as I will no doubt empty myself into your sinful mouth in short order if you continue on this path."

That's not what she wants, so she releases him, giving his balls one last gentle squeeze, and then she crawls over him, up to his head. It's a delicate operation, but she manages to slide her feet and legs under his bound arms, positioning herself until she's kneeling with her 'sweet lips' hovering inches above his face.

This earns her yet another eyebrow raise. "I do believe there is an impediment," he points out, eyeing her panties.

"_Convince_ me, and I might move it out of the way," she informs him. Let him work for it a bit. He needs a little reminder that she's the one in control.

He laughs softly, quickly catching on to her little game. "As my lady commands," he says with a mocking edge to his voice, but he licks his lips and cranes his neck, trying to reach her.

She takes pity on him – he _is_ injured, after all – and lowers herself down until he can touch her. He buries his nose in the fabric and inhales noisily, and Jane blushes despite herself. "Sweet indeed," he purrs lustfully against her, ending this pronouncement with a broad stroke of his tongue along the crotch of her panties.

It doesn't take long for the fabric to be soaked through, and even through the layer of cloth he's able to target her clit with teeth and tongue, working it with a skill that makes her head spin, and she has to clutch the headboard to keep herself balanced above him in just the right way.

It doesn't take long for her to want more, and he laughs softly in victory when she reaches down to push the panties out of the way so she can feel his touch _right _on her most sensitive spots.

He slides his tongue right into her instantly, Jane groaning loudly in response, then he pulls it out and up, sweeping along and over her aching clit. Sharp bolts of sensation seem to travel up her body, swirling in her belly and making her nipples tingle.

Swift flicks of his tongue against that spot soon have her moaning and pressing herself down on his face, tangling a hand in his hair to keep him right _there_ – though she tries not to press down on him it too hard. He chuckles against her, and she can almost forgive him for what he said to Thor, since he so obviously enjoys this so much.

When he starts using his teeth on her, even though he's being careful, it jolts her at first. He nips at her outer lips, then pulls her inner lips into his mouth one at a time and grazes them with said teeth. She's almost getting used to the feeling, when he startles her by tilting his head up suddenly, his chin pressing hard the length of her sex as he does so. "If you free my hands," he says, his gaze calculating, "I promise I shall put them to good use."

Jane shakes her head, sweeping her sweaty hair out of her face. "Not a chance," she insists. She's enjoying their present arrangement quite a lot, thanks muchly. Knowing him, he'd just use his freedom to try to take control of her.

He pouts, then gets a lewd gleam in his eye. "Very well, then _you_ must assist me," he suggests. "Hold yourself open for me, Jane," he says, as commandingly as he usually does. When she doesn't move, he seems to remember their current game. "Please," he adds, and there does seem to be a pleading note in his voice.

It's not a difficult decision for Jane. Bracing her knees, she does as he asks, reaching down and spreading her folds wide for him, though it makes her blush all over again. Sometimes, she thinks he does these things _just_ to make her blus-

He nips at her exposed clit, and she gasps and almost jerks away, her skin prickling into goosebumps, her toes curling, but he's quick to soothe away the ache with his tongue. Just as she's starting to relax, though, he scrapes his teeth lightly across the quivering node, and then he begins a relentless pattern of almost-pain/ pleasure, using his teeth and tongue on her, never stopping until a "Please," spills out of her.

"As you wish," he responds, sucking her clit hard into his mouth and lapping at it until Jane can't take it anymore, and shuddering, she comes in a flood, sensations of hot and cold pouring down over her in alternating waves. She tumbles off to the side, boneless and limp, Loki licking her juices off his lips and watching her smugly_. Even bound and injured, he's no slouch, and clearly he knows it. _

She's still wearing her bra, and Loki is eyeing it, so when she's recovered enough she undoes it and tosses it aside, pressing her breasts against his face. As usual, he's quick to catch on, suckling on each nipple eagerly, but before long Jane wants to feel him inside her, so she gets off the bed and moves on shaky legs to her duffle to retrieve a condom.

Loki smirks in anticipation as she puts it on him, but Jane smirks right back, one last trick up her sleeve. She's been able to observe the 'master' (no pun intended) at teasing lately. And nobody's ever accused her of being a slow learner.

She straddles his hips again, scooping his shaft up in one hand…and she rubs the head in slow circles against her clit a few times, before slowly moving her 'toy' up and down along the length of her soaked core, never letting him inside her. Loki's breathing goes ragged, his eyes nearly savage with need.

She releases him, letting his shaft rest on his belly, and she keeps going, sliding herself up and down along the underside of his length, enjoying the sensation of her clit sliding against him. She closes her eyes and lets her head roll back on her neck, pretending to ignore him entirely as she uses him as her plaything.

He finally curses and lets out a loud angry growl, and the headboard creaks alarmingly. It reminds Jane that it wouldn't take much for Loki to turn the tables on her. She meets his eyes, pushing her sweaty bangs out of her face again, and takes yet another page from his tease playbook. "Tell me what you want, Loki."

His eyes narrow to slits, yet still manage to glitter ferally at her. "I want to feel you, hot and tight around me," he snarls. "I want to get so deep inside you that you feel me for _days_ afterward. I want to drive myself into you until you come apart in pieces. And I want it _now_, wench!" He yanks hard at the scarves, the headboard groans again, and Jane's pretty sure she hears fabric rip.

_Better give him what he wants,_ Jane grins to herself, finally taking him inside her. His gaze almost sears her, his breath rasping loudly in his throat and his hips rising sharply to meet her. His hands squeeze into white-knuckled fists as she starts to move quickly, both of them impatient now.

He likely won't last long, so although it's not something she normally feels comfortable doing, Jane braces one hand on the bed next to him, and uses the other to massage her own clit. She's too shy at first to look up and see if he's even watching her. When she finally does, of course he _is_ watching her, drinking in the sight. It encourages her to stop thinking so much, and just _go_ with it.

He's bucking up harder and harder into her, meeting her on every downward thrust, and it's almost hard enough to hurt. Jane increases the pressure on her nub, and there it is, her second climax of the night spilling over her, carrying her away, gasping and moaning and _drowning_. And Loki is right behind her, shoving up into her in one last powerful thrust, shouting incoherently as the rising wave engulfs him as well.

Jane lets herself collapse forward onto the bed, lying against his uninjured side. For a moment, she looks at his bonds, then decides to leave alone them for now. Instead, she lays her head on his shoulder and wraps her arm across his heated chest, curling her leg around his. She snuggles into him, pressing damp skin to damp skin, and closes her eyes.

Predictably, he stiffens, but Jane pretends not to notice, instead gently caressing his chest with her hand. After a heartbeat or four, he does relax, and Jane continues to pretend that she hasn't noticed.

There's an unexpected shift in the musculature beneath her cheek, and his arms suddenly fold around her, holding her tight against him. She does smile now, but doesn't open her eyes.

She's almost drifting off to sleep – whether he'll be there when she wakes, she doesn't know, but she's going to enjoy cuddling with him as long as she's conscious - when a thought occurs.

"I've been looking for another place to live," she says.

"Hm?" he answers, sounding pretty sleepy himself. His arms tighten around her almost imperceptibly.

"Yeah, I'm getting sick of the trailer. And I don't think you're really a fan of it, either."

His only answer is a contemptuous snort.

"I was thinking that maybe you should come with me when I start visiting places," she goes on, before she loses her nerve. "You know, give me your input? If we can find a place we both like, we won't have to do this globe-trotting thing every time we want to….play."

Loki grunts noncommittally, then clears his throat. "It is nothing to me."

"I don't plan to drag you to every single place," Jane clarifies. "I mean, once I've narrowed it down to the one or two places that seem to fit my needs best, then you can see them with me and let me know what you think-"

"I _think_ that it is not worth my valuable time," Loki says, seeming completely disinterested in the topic.

Jane frowns and rolls her eyes, but mainly she's frustrated with herself for even thinking he would care. "Don't injure yourself further in your enthusiasm."

She looks up at his face, but his answering look is bland and blank, like he can't figure out why she's making such a big deal out of this.

_Just let it go, Jane,_ she coaches herself. _There's no point ruining your first good cuddle with Loki over this_. "Okay, whatever," she says, sighing. "Just don't complain to me afterwards, then, if you don't like the place I choose."

"It is entirely irrelevant to me," he says in the same disinterested way, and Jane just shrugs and nestles herself against his shoulder again.

It leaves her feeling unsettled, but Loki's arms are still firmly around her, so Jane decides it's stupid not to take her victories where she can. She closes her eyes and lets herself drift into sleep.


	7. The Calm Before the Storm Ch 3

**The Calm Before the Storm (3/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: November 2012**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Loki wants to play a new 'game' with Jane. Cue the evil laughter.**

**Beta: *kneels before canyr12***

**Disclaimer: I think Loki owns ME. It's definitely not the other way around.**

**Author's Note: As usual, everything in this series is based on the movie!verse.**

Jane's lungs feel as if they are on fire, even as she pushes herself to keep running. She can't stop, no matter how badly her body is screaming at her that it can't maintain this pace.

Branches snag on her sleeves and pant-legs, trying to slow her down. It feels as if the very forest itself is against her, trying to stop her, to imprison her, hold her captive for _him_.

Jane risks a glance back over her shoulder, even though experience tells her she won't see him unless he wants her to. Sure enough, there's nothing but the trees, and above them, the dark sky with its unfamiliar star formations.

Of course, she stumbles over a root (predictable) and winds up falling to her knees with a jolt.

There's no sound but the uneven dry rasp of her breathing, and the wind whispering through the leaves of the trees. But Jane knows he's behind her, he's _coming_ for her, and she knows she can't stop.

Confirming her fears, dark laughter curls through the rustle of leaves. It's close, and Jane thinks she sees the silhouette of curving horns moving slowly towards her through the trees. Oh yes, he's coming after her. He's probably even closer than she realizes, master of illusion that he is.

Jane clenches her fists and lurches back up onto her feet, running as fast as she can towards freedom.

She can't let him catch her.

_Earlier that evening…_

Jane idly flips through the classified ads one last time, making some notes on a pad as she shovels the last of her supper into her mouth.

Her mind wanders back to two mornings ago. She'd woken up, to her great surprise, still wrapped securely in Loki's arms. He'd already been awake and watching her with an expression she couldn't read. But then he'd kissed her and teleported her back to her trailer, alone, before she could even begin to think of what to say to him.

Still, at least he'd spent the night cuddling with her in bed. It was almost certainly a sign of progress, right?

And yet the events of that day, the fight she'd witnessed between him and Thor, keep replaying themselves in her head. The things Loki had said. The things she'd told Thor. They nag at her on an endless loop, as much as she tries to ignore them and focus on apartment-hunting.

She'd admitted to Thor that she doesn't really _know _Loki. 'Sharing' really isn't his thing. But how long can things between them last if he won't open up to her? And if (when?) she reaches her limit, will he really talk to her if she pushes him, or will he simply end things between them and walk away?

Not pleasant thoughts. Jane forces herself once more back to apartment-hunting. She's already visited seven potential places over the last two days, and after a great deal of consideration over the last few hours, she's pretty much settled on two. Briefly, she considers again asking Loki for his input, but he hadn't exactly been receptive to that idea.

She flips to a blank page in her notepad, now making a list of the pros and cons of each place. Apartment A: downtown (such as it is), so it's close to Isabella's and the grocery store. And she wouldn't be living within sight of the lab, which might give her some 'mental space'. But it would probably be a bit noisier, it would be a relatively long walk to get to work, and does she really want Loki to visit her in a place that's smack in the middle of the town he nearly destroyed? Assuming anyone will recognize him (if he even lets anyone _see_ him), maybe it's still tempting fate.

Apartment B pretty much has all the opposite pros and cons, since it's right on the edge of town near the lab…but it also has smaller rooms in general, though it does have an extra room (which might make for a good 'office/computer room'), a better freezer-fridge combo, and a larger closet in the single bedroom. And cheaper rent. Jane puts down her pen and rubs her eyes, thinking that she should call both landlords and ask if she can visit the places once again tomorrow.

Out of the blue, it feels like something is brushing softly against her mind. That's the only way she can describe it. _Jane,_ says a soft voice in her head, and then Loki is standing next to her chair.

No horns today – they and her ceiling would definitely agree to disagree – just his usual black and green armour.

"Loki! I wasn't sure when I would see you," Jane says happily, getting up from the table to hug him before her brain tries to stop her. But her delayed fear seems baseless; this time he doesn't stiffen up. In fact, he loops an arm almost casually around her, as if accepting her hug as his due. _Definitely progress_. "I didn't know how long it would take you to heal," she adds.

Loki makes a dismissive gesture with his free arm. "Do not trouble yourself. I am fine." Indeed, this close to him, Jane can see that there isn't even the tiniest sign of the bruises and cuts that had marred his face the other day, the result of his battle with Thor.

Letting go of her, he walks around Jane to peer curiously down at the newspaper and her notes. "What are you doing?" he asks. Jane blinks in mild surprise. Since when does Loki care what she does with herself when he's not around?

_Another sign of progress?_

"Well, like I said the other night, I've been looking for an apartment. I actually visited a bunch of places recently, and I think I've narrowed it down to two that I like. I'll probably go visit them again tomorrow, before I make a final decision. In fact, I was just about to call the landlords to arrange that."

"Hm," Loki says, flipping idly through her notepad.

"How about you? What have you been up to?" She asks hesitantly, after a long silence. Asking _him_ such questions is new for her, too, but she's too curious to stop herself. She's a scientist, after all, and if the bounds of their relationship have shifted, she's too curious to see where the new limits are. Call it hypothesis testing.

He turns and grins down at her with a naughty glint in his eye, but before Jane's anxieties can flare up too much, he says: "I have been thinking. I want to play a new game with you, Jane Foster."

"Um, yes?" Jane shifts from foot to foot, full-on nervous after all. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," she admits.

"You'll like this game. I shall see to it." He pauses, considering. "And I promise we won't be intruded on, either by persons real or illusory."

"I don't know, every time you say 'game', it scares me a little," Jane blurts out before she can think better of it. Maybe that's not the sort of thing she should be admitting to a God of Mischief-

But Loki nods, a serious expression on his face. "I know. And I wish to remedy that." He motions to her to resume her previous seat at the kitchen table, and then he moves to sit in the other kitchen chair.

"I wish to….engage in a little play-acting," he continues. "But first, I wish to discuss it with you, so that we do not have a repeat performance of the dream. Where I pushed you too far for your comfort."

_He's negotiating with me,_ Jane realizes. _How_ interesting. "Go on," she says as calmly as she can, somehow managing to hide the tremor in her voice.

"First, I shall take us somewhere new. It will be outdoors, and it will likely seem strange to you, but I swear by Yggdrasil that it will be totally private. I shall hide us both from any possible onlookers, though I highly doubt there will be any, as it is a remote place."

Sex _outside_? _Well, there's a first time for everything, right? _"Um, OK," Jane says. It's not something she's ever done before, but that's not a sufficient reason to say no.

But Loki isn't done. "Second, there is the small matter of your punishment, which you have cleverly avoided up until now." The evil glint returns to his eyes, and he smirks at the way Jane gulps and shifts anxiously in her chair. "However, I assure you that have no intention whatsoever of injuring you. I cannot promise that I will not _hurt _you to a small extent, since that is rather the point of the exercise, but I do promise that I would never _harm_ you. Am I being clear?"

Jane nods slowly, though the idea of being spanked still both scares her and excites her, if she's being honest with herself. "Are you punishing me because I dominated you the other day?"

He chuckles and shakes his head, his smirk becoming a grin. "No. I thought that was…inspired. If you require a reason, then I say you are to be punished for coming back to the battle between myself and Thor, after I sent you away to safety."

Jane frowns angrily and crosses her arms, but Loki sighs and puts his hands up in a placating gesture. "Are you totally unfamiliar with how such games work? Even if you had obeyed my every command instantly and without question, I would come up with a reason – however petty – to 'discipline' you."

"You still haven't told me what your 'game' is," Jane points out.

Loki's smirk reappears. "I want to play a game of cruel, lustful master, and helpless yet defiant slave."

Jane's hands tighten around her elbows anxiously, though she can't deny to herself that it does sound rather….intriguing. "Didn't we kind of do that already, though?" _At the very beginning, when you were stalking me_, she thinks but doesn't say.

"I suppose," he sighs heavily again, and Jane could swear that she sees shame on his face for a split second. "But I highly doubt you found that time _enjoyable_."

Jane can't help smiling just a little. "No, not really."

He nods. "I intend to remedy _that,_ as well." He leans forward in the chair, eyes intent on her face, then continues: "But before even that, there is another element I wish to explore with you as well. A game played not infrequently in Asgard, though as yet I have not had the opportunity to play in such a fashion before. It is a game where the man pursues – literally – his partner. I hope you did not get your fill of running the other day while my brother and I were battling."

Jane's mouth goes dry as the pieces fall into place. "You mean you're going to…_hunt_ me down?"

He's doing his smirking thing again. "In a manner of speaking. And when I capture you, feel free to resist me. In fact, I would prefer that you resist me. I want you to try and stop me from _taking_ you." He chuckles darkly, and Jane has to shift in her chair again.

It's definitely interesting. Jane knows that she's always wanted to be overpowered, to be _taken_. He kind of did that their first night together, but this is a step beyond even that. It's a potent fantasy he's spinning for her, and yet, she's never really wanted anything that, well, _extreme_ to happen to her in anything other than her fantasies; she's never trusted anyone enough.

The real question is does she trust Loki that much?

Jane considers it for a long moment, aware of him watching her the whole time.

After a moment he adds, as if he is all too aware of her doubts: "Assuming you consent, of course. Perhaps it is too early in our 'arrangement', for me to ask such of you? If so, you have only to say."

That alone makes her feel better; the fact that she has an 'out' if she wants one. That he cares enough, it seems, to offer her one.

But the truth is, it intrigues her, excites her, and she _does_ trust him, as insane as that sounds even to her sometimes. He's made some mistakes, pushed against some of her boundaries in ways that she wishes he hadn't, but she does think he never did any of that to hurt her. At least not once she consented to their 'arrangement'.

"No, it's not too early," she replies, getting up and coming around the table to take his hand. She smiles down at him, though she's sure he can tell how nervous and aroused his little scenario has made her. "Whenever you want to try that let me know."

He raises his eyebrow at her and makes a small sweeping gesture. "Why not now?"

Jane swallows hard around a sudden lump in her throat. "Um, _now_?" Somehow, she hadn't even considered that he meant _right this second_.

"Of course. I am not a patient man." he points out with a little sideways quirk of his lips. Then he stands and smirks again, towering over her. "However, perhaps you should arrange your domicile 'visits' first. I do not wish to disrupt your plans for tomorrow. Though you may wish to arrange for _late_ meetings." He winks down at her.

Jane gulps again and takes his suggestion, trying to ignore how her hands and voice are shaking slightly as she makes her calls, planning to meet the landlady of Apartment A at 1:00pm tomorrow and the landlord of Apartment B at 3:00pm. It helps a little when he takes that burning gaze (and knowing smirk) off of her and looks out the trailer window instead.

Jane finally hangs up and takes a deep, slow breath, trying to calm herself. _Here goes nothing_. "OK, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

She turns to Loki, to find him studying her critically. "What?" she asks.

"Are you fond of those garments?" he asks cryptically. Jane looks down at herself. Comfortable, worn jeans, a flannel shirt, and a white tee-shirt. "Um, yes, I suppose?"

"I am not sure your clothing will survive our 'game'." he says. "I suggest you do not wear anything that you are not prepared to sacrifice. You may change, I will wait." He crosses his arms, leering at her.

Jane tries not to think too hard about what he could mean. _'__Sacrifice'?_ She just moves past him to her closet, pawing through it until she finds an old pair of sweatpants, and a flannel shirt that's seen better days. Although she winces a bit at what he will think, she next finds a bra whose elastic has seen better days – it might not even survive being _worn_ – and a pair of panties with a small tear near the waistband, though the thought of wearing such battered clothing in front of her lover makes her wince a bit. But that's what he asked her to do, right?

Clothes collected, she pauses, not sure where to dress, and Loki's grin turns absolutely feral. "Please, never mind _me_." He says archly. Jane swallows hard and turns her back to him, changing clothes as quickly as she can. It's not that she's feeling immodest; he's seen her naked often enough, and he's going to be seeing her naked again all too soon. But the intensity of his gaze is making her very uncomfortable.

When she finishes and turns back to look at him, the wicked expression on his face doesn't really make her feel all that better. "Shall we?" he asks.

Jane nods, not trusting her voice not to squeak from nerves. He takes her hand, and without any warning her vision washes out into blinding white and green flashes of light.

There's a mild jolt as her feet hit uneven ground, and when Jane's eyes work properly again, she finds them in a forested area at night. Trees and dense foliage ring them in, and when she looks up through a break in the canopy of branches above, she doesn't recognize any of the constellations above her. And there's not one, but _two_ moons.

"Is this some kind of dream?" she asks him, letting go of his hand a little reluctantly. It's unsettling somehow, though that's probably exactly what he wants.

"No, it is real," he answers, pacing a few steps away from her, turning his back on her.

"Are we in _Asgard_?" It seems the only logical explanation, but would Loki really risk coming here for real? Even if Thor had let him go free on Earth, it had sounded to Jane as if Odin might not have agreed to that.

But Loki doesn't answer her question. Instead, he turns and smiles at her in a way that she can only describe as predatory. His teeth somehow look very sharp in the dappled moonlight, and the almost fully-healed bite-mark on her neck gives a mild throb.

"Fragile little Jane Foster," he purrs mockingly, and the tone of his voice makes a slow shiver go down her spine. He takes a leisurely step towards her, the air around him shimmering, and before Jane's amazed eyes his helmet phases gradually into being. The horns appear inch by inch, and then his green cape and the golden plates of armour he was wearing the other day when he visited her in the lab.

He's apparently pulling out all the stops.

Jane clenches her fists and takes few quick steps back, trying to maintain the distance between them. Pretending to be intimidated is not all that difficult. "What do you want from me, Loki?" She hisses angrily. She's supposed to be a 'defiant slave', right?

He laughs wickedly, and while it reminds her all too clearly of how she first 'met' him, this time it actually sends a strange kind of thrill through her veins.

"I'm going to make a toy of you, little one. I so enjoy using mortals as playthings," he sneers, sliding closer to Jane as she continues to back up.

"Look at the big powerful god, threatening to rape a defenseless woman," Jane snarls at him. Another echo of earlier and rather less comfortable days (if the situation right this moment _could_ be called comfortable), but Loki doesn't give the same reply as he did the first time she said something similar to him.

"Why not?" he laughs low and deep in his throat. "It's one of the many privileges of power." He slides ever closer. "You belong to me, you are my _slave_, and I will use you as my desires dictate."

His words seem to ignite something in her, a mix of anxiety and lust like nothing she's ever experienced before, and Jane continues to back up, playing the game, looking for a way to evade him. She glances over her shoulder and realizes that there seems to be an overgrown trail stretching away through the trees, right behind her.

"There's no escape," he growls, noticing her look. "Still, I do enjoy a good _hunt. _I am feeling slightly charitable this evening, so I shall make you a bargain, slave. In that direction-" he indicates the trail- "some distance from here, there is a mountain. Sheer cliffs rising up from the forest floor. If you get to the rock face before I catch you, I will set you free. But if I get to you first…" He trails off with another low, depraved laugh.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Jane challenges him.

More evil laughter, his eyes glittering in the dim light of the moons. "You do not, but I am afraid you only have two choices. Kneel now and beg me to use you gently – I may consider it, or I may _not_ - or run and take your chances. I shall give you a two-minute head start."

When Jane hesitates for a long moment, his grin widens cruelly. "Your time has already begun, little girl. Five seconds already gone, by my count-"

Jane turns and runs, crashing through the branches, and his laughter rings coldly in her ears.

She scrambles, trying not to trip over roots and loose twigs, and it doesn't take long at all for her legs to ache, for her lungs to burn. Panting for breath, she remembers what happened during Loki and Thor's battle, and so she tries to slow down just enough to keep moving quickly, but without exhausting herself.

If she can get to the rock face, maybe he'll let her escape her 'punishment' at the very least. She rather doubts it, but either way, this is the game she agreed to.

After what seems like an eternity, she finally has to come to a stop in a clearing to catch her breath. Alien formations of stars arch above her, reminding her that Loki is master of this domain. And master over her, by extension.

It doesn't matter; she's still going to try to give him a run for his money, no pun intended.

Out of the blue there's a sudden familiar chuckle, seeming to come from right next to her ear, and Jane bolts forward, continuing along the overgrown path and again trying not to stumble over her own feet. She feels a hand grab at her shoulder but she manages to slip away, an angry snarl following after her, and her heart lurches. He certainly _is_ a convincing actor.

Her heart is pounding so loud Jane thinks he could probably track her just by the noise of its beat alone. Sweat drips into her eyes, stinging and blurring, and branches slap against her, as if the forest itself is trying to entrap her, hold her hostage for her pursuer. Jane shoves through the branches, gritting her teeth and trying to keep from looking over her shoulder.

It's like having a ravenous monster on her trail._ Well, he's definitely ravenous,_ Jane reflects, _and I'm sure most people would agree with the_ monster _part, unfortunately._ Despite the craziness of this whole scenario though, she has to admit to herself that she feels more excited than afraid. Even if she knows that Loki is going to win this chase, whether she makes it to the rock face or not. The prey isn't going to escape so determined a predator.

Just as she thinks this, the trail opens up ahead of her, and she can see her destination. Putting on a last burst of speed – almost thwarted as she stumbles over a tree root yet _again_ – she breaks from the tree-line and puts a hand on the rough wall of rock.

"Very good," Loki growls. Jane's head jerks up, and she sees that he's standing only a few paces away from her, leaning casually against the cliff-face. She's panting hard, her legs trembling and her heart racing in her chest, but he's calm and unruffled. _He_ certainly hadn't run.

"You…fucking…_cheater_," she gasps, glaring at him and trying to slow her breathing.

If he grins any wider, his jaw is going to fall off. "God of Mischief and Lies, my pet. Cheating is a requirement, do you not agree?" Jane doesn't miss the slight emphasis he puts on the word 'pet'.

"Yeah, well, I still made it here, and you didn't catch me. So I'm leaving now, as we agreed."

He throws his head back and gives his most maniacal laugh yet, and Jane can't help shivering at the sound. _He's _definitely_ too good an actor_.

"I am afraid that I _lied_, my slave. But in truth, you expected as much, did you not? Still, I thank you for the amusement, however brief." He sidles towards her, still grinning cruelly.

"You bastard!" she spits at him, pushing off the wall and clenching her fists tightly. He said he wants her to resist, but what exactly is she supposed to do?

"I will use you until you _break_," he rasps, shifting nearer. He stops just out of reach, though, stroking his chin and looking thoughtful.

"On the other hand, given how well you amused me, perhaps I should offer you a chance to change my mind." His voice hardens, roughens. "Kneel and beg for my clemency."

But Jane isn't going to fall for that a second time. "Go to Hell. You're just lying again."

"Well, so I am!" he says brightly. "Such a clever little mortal." He reaches out almost lazily towards her. Randomly, Jane thinks that his horns seem a lot less funny when he's grinning savagely at her like that, as if he plans to _devour_ her.

Jane's still not sure exactly what to _do_. She knows all too well how strong and fast he is, and even if she tries to go on the offensive, punching him seems like a really bad idea – a good way to hurt her hand on his armour – and for what? He's going to win, they've already established that. There's only going to be one ending to this scene. The only question is how they get there.

So instead of trying to fight, she turns and tries to run away.

But before she can even get two steps away, it's as if a veil of darkness is dragged across her vision for a split second, and when it disappears, he's standing right in front of her. Operating on sheer instinct, Jane doesn't stop, just lowers her shoulder and barrels right into him, and she's not at all surprised when she hits nothing. One of his duplicates, she expected as much.

But she barely gets in another step before powerful hands grab her from behind, closing tightly around her upper arms like shackles, jerking her to a bone-jarring stop. "Very good, indeed," says a low husky voice right into her ear, and she can feel the cold metal of his helmet pressing against the side of her head. "I do believe there is a touch of the warrior in you, little mortal."

He drags her backwards, and Jane tries to twist free of his grip, but it does no good. She stamps down on his foot as hard as she can, but he only chuckles. Her next attempt is to try to fall to her knees and at least slow him down, but he picks her up effortlessly, one arm around her waist and the other pinning her arms against her sides, and pulls her back into the forest.

They're in a clearing – she doesn't know if it's the one she stopped in before, a new one, or maybe it's even one he just created, assuming this forest is all his construction – but either way, he suddenly releases her.

She knows the struggle will end the moment _he_ decides it will, but until then, she's going to give it her all.

So instead of running again, this time she turns and advances on him, ignoring the expression of mocking delight on his face as she raises her pitifully tiny fists. She takes a clumsy swing at him, hitting nothing as he languidly dodges, staying just out of her reach. "Perhaps more than a touch of the warrior," he says with false admiration.

"Fuck you," she snarls, baring her teeth and punching at him again, though of course he slides just out of reach once more.

He makes a confused face at her, though his fierce amusement is very obvious just underneath. "Oh, but you _will_, my pet. Though perhaps more accurately, I am going to fuck _you_," he points out crudely, leering at her. "Hard and rough, until you are screaming my name." He steps towards her, baring his teeth in a shark-like grin.

Heat prickles below Jane's belly, but she plays the game, kicking at him as he gets too close, and still he grins as he grabs her elbow, unbalancing her and yanking her forward against him.

She tries to twist away, shoving her hip into his leather-clad belly as hard as she can, stamping again on his foot, but it has absolutely no effect. She winds up with her back pressed tight to his chest, his arms trapping hers against her own body, and no matter how she squirms, she can't get free. She struggles harder, using all her strength, but his arms are like stone bands, and she's pretty sure he's not using even half his strength. Maybe not even a quarter. In any other context, it might actually be kind of funny, just how outmatched she is.

His arms tighten a little further, squeezing her, and although he's not hurting her, for a moment it almost seems too real. She throws her head backwards on sheer instinct, finally eliciting a grunt from him as the top of her head connects with his chin, his teeth clacking loudly together.

Immediately she feels guilty, but he only snarls: "An excellent if fruitless attempt, little slave," and pushes her down into the cool tall grass.

She tries to crawl away but his hand closes on her ankle and yanks her towards him, and then he's on top of her, forcing her onto her back. The fierce, exhilarated grin never leaves his face as he grabs the collar of her sweat-top and pulls sharply, the fabric parting as easily as if he were simply opening double doors.

"Leave me alone!" Jane hollers, shoving at his chest with all her pitiful strength, but of course he doesn't move an inch, and he never stops grinning. Steel fingers grab her wrists and press them up over her head, his legs tangle around hers, and he's leaning down, his breath falling hotly on her face.

"Such spirit," he comments in that faux-admiring way. "Did I not once say I would enjoy breaking it? I think that time might be at hand." Jane yells at his words and he releases her hands, but it's only so he can tug hard on the ruins of her shirt, yanking it up and off her arms. He tosses it away like trash, then pins her wrists down again with one hand, eyeing her heaving chest.

Jane bites off a moan as his fingertips trace along one strap of her bra, slow and lazy. Like he has all the time in the world (and he does, doesn't he?). When he closes his hand around her still-clothed breast, pressing his fingers into lace and skin, Jane curses him, even though what she really wants him to do is to _touch _her.

Loki leans over her, horns looming over her face as his teeth drag none-too-gently down her throat, and Jane yelps as he tweaks her nipple hard through her bra.

He laughs huskily and shifts lower, and Jane tries to pull her wrists free but she can't do it, it's like trying to move a brick wall, and she can't even arch her back as he nips her sharply through the worn lace.

The torment pauses as his hand fumbles between her breasts, obviously searching for some kind of fastening, and Jane takes the opportunity to laugh at him for a change.

"The great and terrible God of Mischief, foiled by a simple bra? You're _pathetic_."

He snarls and gets right back in her face, his teeth sharp on the edge of her jaw though he doesn't bite hard. Then he laughs and Jane feels him reach down between their bodies. She's not sure what he's doing, and it's hard to suppress the thrill of fear when he retrieves what he's looking for and holds it up in front of her face.

One of his daggers.

"Not foiled at all, impudent slave. You won't be needing _this_ anymore," he purrs, and Jane squeezes her eyes shut as he slides the thin blade between her breasts and under the strap, slicing it open with a sharp tug. Two more cuts dealt to the straps to each side of her collarbone, and he's pulling the bra free and tossing it away. He tosses the dagger after it, much to Jane's surprise.

His teeth worry at her bared nipples, first one and then the other, and Jane doesn't bother to swallow her groan this time. "In fact," he growls, you won't be needing any of your garments any longer." Ruthlessly he pulls her up onto her feet, then drags her by the wrists towards a tree stump in the middle of the clearing.

She can't hope to stop him or even to slow him down, but she still tries anyways, even though he brushes her efforts off easily. He even has no trouble controlling her with only one hand, as he uses the other to sweep his cape out of the way before he sits down on the stump, pulling her inexorably down and across his lap.

Jane can guess what's coming, and she squirms and tries to kick, useless as that is, shouting and cursing him. Another wickedly mocking chuckle, and he pulls her arms tightly behind her back. A hissing sound fills Jane's ears, and there's the familiar sensation of a thin snake winding itself firmly around her wrists over and over before it goes still and turns into rope, his arm holding her down like a leaden weight. She continues to struggle and curse, though.

"Silence!" he rasps after a moment, his hand covering her mouth. "You can't hope to stop me, little mortal. But that doesn't mean you can't annoy me into being even _more_ unkind to you than I had already planned. Understand me?"

Jane draws in a shaky breath as best she can against his hot palm, and nods slowly. She bites her lip hard but has to fight to keep from squirming, as he pulls another dagger from somewhere and starts slicing the rest of her clothes to ribbons. The waistband of her sweatpants gives with barely any resistance, and her panties breathe their last with even less. Soon she's down to her shoes and socks, the leather underneath her smooth and cool against her bare belly and thighs. When a breeze flits through the clearing and brushes across her skin, she's painfully aware of just how _wet_ she is, and how hard her nipples have become. He probably is, too.

"So very lovely," he comments, tossing the dagger away and snaking a hand into her hair, using a firm grip to hold her in place like a specimen pinned to a board. "I should keep you naked every moment of every day and night," he muses, "So you are always ready to submit to your god." Jane squeezes her eyes tightly shut again as his fingers feather along the curve of her trembling ass in the lightest of touches.

He keeps it up for awhile, teasing her with the lightest of touches, letting his hand trail along her quivering thighs. Several times he changes tactics, scratching her sensitive skin lightly with his blunt fingernails, and gooseflesh breaks out all over her body, before returning to the slow, delicious torture of his caresses.

He alters his grip on her hair at one point, forcing her head to turn to the side, towards him, and though he isn't hurting her – _yet_ – she's all too aware that he can see her face now. There's nowhere she can hide from him, though considering what he's about to do to her, maybe that's a good thing. If he starts to _hurt_ her, he'll see that and adjust.

Won't he?

She soon finds herself almost on the verge of relaxing, if only because being on edge for so long eventually would exhaust anyone, and that's when he chooses to strike the first time.

It wrenches a gasp from her throat and all her muscles clench in response, the jolt of contact fading quickly to a sharp sting that makes her writhe. When he accords the other side of her ass the same treatment, she raises her head as much as she can and glares up at him. "You son of a bitch!"

He gives another throw-his-head-back-and-cackle-evilly response. "Spirit," is all he says, before continuing.

Jane isn't counting, but it seems to take awhile, the blows coming at predictable intervals and following a pattern that she can easily work out. Right cheek, left cheek, back of right thigh, back of left thigh, repeat, and she can't help tensing in anticipation of each impact, her gasps soon turning to moans and grunts, the sting turning into several kinds of heat, some of them not unpleasant.

It helps when the hand in her hair releases, and he puts it to work teasing her breasts, tugging gently on the nipples between blows, pinching firmly while landing strikes.

The balance of pleasure and pain leaves her mind in fragments, unable to focus on anything beyond the signals her body is sending her. The sounds forced out of her and of the impact of skin on skin ring in her ears. Time bends, folds, and stretches, and she isn't sure how long her 'punishment' goes on for.

But it does eventually stop, and he slides his hand down across her sore flesh and right between her shaking thighs. The contact wrenches another gasp out of her, his fingertips arrowing in on her clit ruthlessly, circling the slick flesh with firm pressure.

"You're so very _wet_," he purrs. "I knew you would enjoy that." His laugh is low and husky and Jane feels herself blush scarlet, but he doesn't wait for her to reply – and what exactly would she _say_ anyway? - he just pushes what feels like a _lot_ of fingers deep into her, and she groans, her hips bucking back against his hand.

He cackles and it sounds like pure evil as he twists his hand slowly inside her, and Jane turns her head away from him, trying to silence her groans, fighting to withhold something from him, even if it's just the sounds of her pleasure.

The battle is lost immediately, though. He starts to spank her again, though not nearly as hard as before. He doesn't need to spank hard, she's so sensitive now, he barely has to do anything. But he's also moving the fingers inside her in rough quick strokes, _filling _her every time his palm makes stinging contact with her burning skin. When he pulls slick fingers out and attacks her clit again, all the while continuing to spank, it's too much, her control is gone, and Jane screams and comes so hard she can see coloured lights swirling across the backs of her eyelids.

Jane blinks and tries to shake sweaty strands of hair out of her face, tries to get her body to _work_, tries to prepare herself for more resistance. If she knows Loki, this was only the beginning of what he has planned for her.

"Still not screaming my name?" he mocks above her. "It matters not. I _own_ you. I am your god, and you will worship me as such, helpless little slave." He pushes her off his lap without warning, though he catches her elbow in a flash and supports her as she weaves alarmingly on legs that feel about as steady as Jell-O.

He only releases her once she can stand on her own (if with difficulty). Jane is almost afraid to look over at him, but when she finally works up the nerve, he's not even looking at her. Instead he's unfastening his cape somehow from the shoulders of his armour plating, and as she watches, he folds it neatly several times, until he has formed it into a small rectangle. He drops it on the ground between his feet, unlaces his pants and pulls himself free, then fixes her with a narrowed, dangerous gaze.

"Kneel before me!" he commands. When Jane hesitates, his expression darkens further. "Do you need another, _harsher _lesson? I am more than prepared to give it. Otherwise, you will obey me. NOW!"

Shakily, Jane walks forward until she is standing between his legs. It's surprisingly hard to drop to her knees with her hands bound behind her back, but he takes her elbow and helps her, guiding her down until her knees are resting on his folded cape. It's almost incongruous, him so concerned about protecting her knees while maintaining the game, but it also reminds her that it's all _just _illusion. He wraps a hand tightly in her hair again and pulls her forward until her lips press against the head of his cock, and Jane closes her eyes and tries to relax. She's helpless, and there's nothing she can do except give up control to him. She focuses instead on the taste of him, the scent of him, all salt and musk and leather.

Loki directs her every movement, making her do exactly what he wants. At first it's to trace her tongue up and down his length, then to press kisses against his balls. Finally he orders her to open her mouth and slides himself inside, then holds her head still by the hair, while he moves himself slowly in and out, caressing his length along her tongue.

His grip on her hair isn't painful, but Jane is now more than a little worried that he'll force himself too deep into her mouth, until she gags, and that does _not _appeal to her at all. But there's no way to tell that to him, not in her current position, and she doubts looking up at him pleadingly will do much, since that's probably expected of her in this particular scene.

But even when he starts to gasp, his fingers tightening fractionally in her hair, he never pushes himself in too deeply for her comfort. He's not just controlling her, Jane realizes. He is exercising an equally iron grip on himself, maybe even _more_ than over her.

Her tension easing, Jane opens her eyes and looks up at him, watching his face as he gets closer and closer to the edge. She presses her tongue up harder against the underside of his shaft, feeling him stiffen even more against the edges of her teeth. The little bit of his face that she can see, that's not covered by his horned monstrosity of a helmet, is sheened with sweat and flushed red, his breathing speeding up and rasping dryly in his long throat.

He snarls something she doesn't understand and stops dead, his eyes locked to hers as he spills himself across her tongue in hot pulses. He slowly releases his grip on her hair and smirks down at her, radiating pure smugness. It's entirely appropriate to his role, though Jane has to fight not to smirk right back at him.

"Very good, my pet," he praises her, chuckling. Jane collapses back onto her heels, watching as Loki tucks himself in and laces up again. She wonders what else he has up his sleeve, if anything.

"You got what you wanted, so just let me go," Jane hisses at him.

He laughs loudly, the sound seeming to slice through the clearing like a sword-thrust. "Let you _go_? That was merely the appetizer, slave. But I will allow you to rest for the next act. In a manner of speaking." He leans forward, takes her arm and pulls her back onto her feet, then picks up his cape. Rising to his full height, he eyes her naked body while shaking the cape out, then he moves a little away and spreads it out on the grass with meticulous care.

He kneels on the cape, then beckons her over, scowling when Jane stands her ground. "Move, _wench_!" He snarls, raising a hand warningly, and Jane scrambles to obey, not missing how the corner of his mouth quirks in amusement. She's had enough 'punishment' for one day.

He pulls her down to sit in front of him, facing him, and Jane winces slightly as her tender ass makes contact with the hard lumpy ground underneath his cape. But she doesn't have much time to focus on that; he's pulling off her socks and shoes, and then he pushes her down onto her back. She can't figure out what he's doing, and a yelp of surprise escapes her when powerful hands grasp her hips and seem to pull her lower body straight up into the air.

By the time he's finished positioning her, she's practically hanging upside-down. She feels folded in half, her legs dangling helplessly down over the arm he has looped firmly around her hips, her shoulders and the back of her head resting in his lap. Cool leather and cooler, hard metal press against her bound hands and her back, and the blood is rushing to her head, dizzying her. Still, she can't help but notice that her most sensitive areas are now mere centimeters below his chin.

"Wh-what are you _doing_?" Jane stammers.

He chuckles. "Whatever I desire, of course. Don't worry, little girl, you'll like it."

He lowers his head and begins, Jane biting off a squeal as sharp teeth nibble delicately at the outer folds of her sex. She digs her nails into the leather of his tunic, twisting her head from side-to-side as he wraps one arm tightly around her hips and uses his free hand to part the folds of her sex, baring the throbbing little node for him to toy with. His tongue lashes against the spot, over and over, and Jane groans deeply, squeezing her eyes shut, sweat rolling down her sides.

When she opens her eyes next, of course he's watching her, green eyes burning down at her, and Jane can't help looking at his horns, the curves of them glinting in the light of the two moons. A stray thought comes to her then, that it's all too easy to imagine that she's trapped in Hell, being ravished by an evil, lustful god….actually, except for the Hell part, Jane supposes that's exactly what some would say _was_ happening to her right now.

Holding her gaze, Loki raises his glistening mouth from her core. "Such a beautiful quim," he purrs, winking obscenely at her.

_Did he just say 'quim'? _Jane asks herself. It makes her want to giggle for some reason – it's such a ridiculous word, isn't it? – but that and all other logical thought ceases when Loki pushes two fingers deep inside her, then pulls them out and applies the slickened digits to her swollen clit. She does squeal this time, despite her best efforts, and digs her nails into his armour again, feeling light-headed. "And so _responsive_," Loki further observes, laughing low and threateningly again.

His tongue delves deeply inside her, fingertips teasing her clit in a maddening rhythm, and Jane can feel all her muscles starting to clench tightly, her body tensing like a bowstring. So close, she's nearly there, he's probably going to _stop_, if she knows her God of Mischief at all-

What he does next shocks her, even though it doesn't register as painful at all. Jane's not even sure how to describe it to herself. He's tapping (spanking?) her clit firmly, over and over, and each tiny impact sends a shockwave through her, pushing her closer to the edge.

"Yesss," he hisses, "Come for your god," Loki urges her, and everything seems to merge into one intense wave, swallowing her whole, and she comes harder even than before, screaming and twisting helplessly, the blood pulsing so strongly in her head that her ears are deafened by the internal sound.

"My God," she gasps when he lets her back down onto the cape, Jane remembering too late that he'll probably jump on _that _comment, but he only grins, all too pleased with himself.

_Jesus Christ, I can barely move_, she realizes. _That's one drawback to sleeping with a god – he has so much more stamina than I do._ He must realize how spent she is, too, as her hands are suddenly free, her bonds disintegrating as Loki makes a sharp cutting motion in the air with one hand.

"Liked that, did you?" he chuckles darkly, and rolls her unresisting body over onto her stomach. "Get on your knees, slave. No, face away from me," he corrects her as she moves to obey him. If he still wants to play the defiance game with her, he's out of luck. _Two orgasms are apparently all he needs to 'break' me_, Jane thinks, trying not to smirk herself. _Yeah, he'll probably comment on _that, _knowing him._

But he's apparently busy with other things. As she waits on hands and knees, trying not to shiver as a cool breeze strokes across her damp skin, there's a soft rustling behind her. A few moments later, a torn condom wrapper is tossed onto the ground next to her left hand. Well, Jane supposes it's an effective way of letting her know that he's using one, without him having to tell her and thus break role.

His hands skim over her backside, Jane flinching at how sensitive she still is, and then he grasps her hips and pulls her backward, lining her up and holding her immobile for his entry.

His very first thrust is slow and gentle, though Jane still gasps as he fills her, her whole body sensitized after everything they've done together. But after that he gives her no quarter, every thrust verging on brutal. He invades her over and over, each time almost pulling all the way out, and then slamming back into her ruthlessly, ramming the air out of her lungs. The creases and edges of his armour are forced hard against the sore flesh of her backside, it feels like each line is etching itself into her sore skin, but it hurts in the best possible way.

They've passed beyond fucking. This is two animals in rut. And Jane's loving every bone-jarring minute, logical brain be damned.

The harsh sounds of their breathing fill the clearing, the sound of flesh slapping into flesh, and Jane lets her elbows collapse, pressing her burning face into the surprisingly soft grass, not bothering to muffle the moans and groans that escape her every time he invades her again.

He stops suddenly, and Jane feels him run a gentle hand up her sweat-slickened spine. Then he's pulling out of her slowly, and Jane, puzzled, raises her head and looks back over her shoulder at him. What the heck is Loki doing _now_?

He rolls her over onto her back, looking her slowly up and down, and to Jane's confusion he pulls off the helmet, discarding it into the grass next to them. Though his hair is practically drenched with sweat, so maybe she shouldn't be too surprised he's ditching it.

The air around him twists in golden ripples, the gold plates fading away to nothing, leaving him in his usual surcoat and tunic. These he starts to strip off, along with everything else except the condom, his rapid breathing matching hers. There's an expression in his eyes which Jane isn't sure she can identify, especially in the context of this scene, but at a guess, she would say it's almost…._tender_?

Once he's gloriously naked (yes, he's completely healed now, his ribs are totally unbruised as far as Jane can tell), he gets back down on his knees and loops one strong hand behind Jane's neck, the other around her waist, and hoists her back into his lap. He eases himself inside her again, and everything is different this time, gentle and slow and tender, where everything was rough and sharp and demanding mere moments ago.

His eyes never leave her face, their hands clasping, his fingers twining with hers in a way that sends a pang straight through her heart. He kisses her – the first time he's done so this entire night, Jane realizes – and it mirrors what their lower bodies are doing, gentle and unhurried. Even after breaking the kiss, his face stays close to hers, their breaths mingling, strands of his damp hair tickling her face.

He speeds up so gradually that Jane is taken aback to find herself on the verge of yet another orgasm, something Loki guarantees when he extricates one hand from hers and reaches between them to press firm circles around her clit. Though she doesn't scream this time when she reaches climax, she does gasp out his name, and she can feel him smiling against her throat.

He comes at last, his hand tightening around hers almost to the point of pain, growling low through his teeth as he releases himself deep inside her. They slump bonelessly together, and Loki slowly rolls backwards, taking Jane with him. They end up sprawled on his dampened cape, Jane lying on his chest and wrapped in his arms.

They lie there for a long while, their breathing gradually quieting, the wind cooling their sweat-drenched bodies. At first Jane enjoys the breeze, but after awhile she starts to shiver, though it isn't for long because of course Loki notices. He shifts himself around until he can pull his cape out from under them, then he shakes it out and spreads it over them like a blanket, his trapped body heat soon easing her shudders.

Jane closes her eyes and relaxes fully against him, part of her wishing this moment will never end. As if somehow they can stop time, and she'll no longer have to worry about SHIELD finding out about them, or Erik or Darcy, or about Thor changing his mind about leaving Loki here with her.

Or about whether or not Loki will ever really let her _in_, beyond these sexual olympics_._

As if somehow sensing the train of her thoughts, Loki asks softly: "Did I please you?" Jane wonders if she's imagining hesitation in his question.

"What?! Um, _hello_, you just gave me three orgasms here," she teases, and then stops and thinks. "Yikes, once again I owe you."

He chuckles. "Did I not say before that it is not a competition? In fact," – and Jane can easily imagine the sinful smirk on his face, even though her head is tucked into the curve of his neck and she can't see his expression- "I was thinking the other day that I should possibly attempt to see just how many times I can bring you to climax in one session-"

Jane groans loudly and semi-seriously, interrupting him. "Christ, I'm sorry I brought it up. I feel almost comatose right _now_, and you want to push further?" She pokes him in the ribs playfully. "I think you really do want to _break_ me."

"I did not mean right this moment," he points out, but she can tell he's still smirking. "It is only a consideration for the future."

"Is that a threat?" she can't help ribbing him.

"A promise," he counters archly. Oh yes, Jane would bet a year's worth of data that he's doing the smirking thing. _Perv,_ she thinks affectionately.

Then she decides to say it out loud. "Perv," she accuses him.

His arms squeeze her slightly, then relax. "As are you, my dear Jane. But we shall keep that between ourselves, yes?"

She snickers and silence falls again, only the leaves around them whispering in secretive rustles to each other.

After awhile Jane stretches languorously, her eyes starting to feel heavy. She's never felt more sated, and he's very warm against her, and it's getting harder and harder to stay awake.

Out of the blue he says something, startling her back to full consciousness. "Huh?" she asks thickly.

He clears his throat, but then pauses for a long moment, as if he is second-guessing whatever he just said to her. "I said, thank you."

Jane blinks. "For what? You did most of the work. In fact, shouldn't I be the one thanking you?"

But he continues as if she hadn't interrupted. "For the gift you have given me."

Jane blinks some more and leans up so she can see his face. "What gift? I'm not following you."

"The gift of your body. Of your trust," he says, looking back at her with an intensity that almost forces Jane to drop her eyes.

"Oh," Jane says, not sure what answer is appropriate here. "Um, you're welcome?" It's awkward, this whole _exchange_ is awkward, but it's kind of sweet, too. It seems tonight is full of firsts for her.

"And thank _you_," Jane adds, leaning up further and kissing him thoroughly. She lays down again, tucking her head under his chin once more. There's more she should probably be saying, like going into specifics about what exactly she is thankful for, but she's not sure how to put her thoughts into words. And there's always the problem that she still doesn't know where that line in the sand is. He's apparently happy to continue their current arrangement, but if she crosses the line, if she dares to use words like _love_, will that cause things to grind to a halt?

And really, can she apply _love_ to what they have? In so many ways, she barely knows him. Can she really _love_ someone who has so many walls between himself and her, emotionally if not physically?

_I don't want to think about that,_ she decides. Cuddling with Loki is still pretty rare and precious, and damn it, she wants to enjoy every second.

So she does.

Jane wakes up alone in her trailer and quickly realizes that it's almost noon. She dresses swiftly, trying not to dwell on how tender her backside feels, nor the slight soreness between her legs. It's not that either sensation is unpleasant, but she has personal business to attend to this afternoon, and she doesn't want to be distracted.

She remembers falling asleep in Loki's arms, cradled to his chest, but that's where her memory ends. He must've teleported her back here while she slept, and then left.

Again.

_It's still progress,_ she reminds herself firmly, bustling around the trailer preparing a quick lunch. She'll have to eat fast, if she wants to leave lots of time to prepare for meeting with the first landlord, for the apartment in the centre of town.

Just as she sets her plate down on the table, the phone rings, surprising her. It's Sunday, after all, and although research isn't exactly a 9-to-5, five-day-a-week job, she and Darcy agreed a long time ago that Sunday was their day of rest. Sacrosanct. Erik knows that, too. And who else would be calling her, other than Erik or Darcy?

_Unless it's the God of Mischief and Phone-Sex,_ she reminds herself. But she picks up the phone anyway. If it's Loki, she can always ask him to wait until after her apartment-hunting is done-

"Doctor Foster," says a male voice, and although it's a little familiar to her, Jane can't place it. It certainly isn't Loki or Erik, that's for sure.

"Yes?" she asks.

"It's Nick Fury," he says.

Jane's heart leaps into her throat – does he _know_? – but he continues: "If you have a moment, there's something important I'd like to consult with you about…"

Jane is standing in front of 'Apartment A' and she pauses to glance down at her notepad, with its list of questions and reminders. _Ask about noise levels, ask about any bug issues, check the water pressure in the shower_…she thinks she's remembered everything. She starts to reach for the doorbell.

"Am I too late to join you?" asks a familiar voice from behind her, and Jane smiles and turns around.

Then she blinks, astonished, because Loki is not wearing his usual armour. Or in fact, any armour at all. Instead, he's wearing a black suit jacket and tie, a white button-down shirt, black dress pants and shoes, and a long black coat.

She looks him slowly up and down. It's strange how odd he looks to her in normal human clothes, after seeing him so often in his elaborate sets of armour. Of course, had he shown up in the gold plate and horns, that would have been utterly _insane_ – how the people on the street would have stared, assuming Loki had let them see him – and yet, at some level Jane supposes that's exactly what she would have predicted him to do, mischief-lover that he is.

"You clean up nice," she says, smiling up at him. He smiles back, but looks puzzled.

_Oh._ "It's a hu- _Midgardian_ expression. It means you look really handsome when you get all dressed-up." Though as soon as she says that, it occurs to her that given how elaborate his armour is, the dress pants and jacket actually seem _less_ dressy, compared to that.

He raises an eyebrow at her. "You do not approve of my armour?"

Jane shakes her head. "No, I like it just fine, it's a _good _look. Just maybe not for apartment-hunting." The word _hunting_ reminds her of last night's activities, though, and Jane feels a blush creeping over her face. From the sudden smirk on Loki's face, he's obviously thinking about that, too.

Before he can find a way to push more of her buttons – because she just knows he _would_ – she turns and rings the doorbell. An older woman opens it a moment later, and smiles at both of them. "Hello again, Miss Foster."

"Mrs. Lassiter, thanks for letting me take another look at the place," Jane says, shaking hands with her. "This is my friend-" Too late, Jane wonders how exactly she is supposed to introduce him. 'Loki of Asgard?' 'Norse God of Mischief and Kinky Sex-Games?' 'Failed Conqueror of Earth?'

Loki glides up next to Jane and extends his hand. "Loki Lokisson," he interjects smoothly, and Jane has to wonder if letting him introduce himself as _Loki-anything_ is the best idea. The fact that an alien named Loki had tried to take over Manhattan _was_ common knowledge. She doesn't think anyone will connect the name – or Loki's face – to anything to do with Puente Antiguo, since only his Destroyer had been here before, but the Battle of Manhattan had been _big_ news.

Too late, it also occurs to her that this is a small town. People talk. Jane doesn't know _everyone_, certainly, as she is not the most sociable of people. And there are strangers passing through here all the time. But still, the tongues do tend to wag. So could Erik or Darcy eventually hear about the 'friend' named Loki who had helped Jane with her apartment search?

Unfortunately there's nothing Jane can do about it now. Unless Loki really does have some ability to control minds.

But Mrs. Lassiter doesn't seem aware of the Manhattan connection. "An interesting name. You're not from around here?"

Loki shakes his head and smiles sweetly. "No, you could say such."

She beckons them both inside. "Just let me get the key, I'll be right with you."

Jane wipes her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans as the landlady walks away. Loki, observant as always, leans to Jane's ear. "What troubles you, Jane?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have told her your name," Jane says in a low voice. "We don't know how many people might remember that a guy named Loki tried to take over the world." Then she remembers something else. "Or who might recognize you from a photo or video."

He shrugs, so unconcerned that Jane wonders if maybe she is blowing things out of proportion.

Then his lips curve in a slow smirk, which makes Jane nervous all over again. "If anyone cares to ask, you can always say it was a jest. That we were playing games of the 'evil god' and 'helpless maiden' variety earlier." His smirk becomes positively wicked, his hand ghosting lightly across her still-sensitive backside. "It even is the truth," he points out with mock-innocence, grinning as Jane gasps at the liberties he is trying to take with her.

Jane rolls her eyes and slaps at his hand – he doesn't dodge away like he did last night, but he does grin and wink at her – and steps away from him, pretending to be more annoyed than she actually is.

She manages to smooth out her expression just as the landlady bustles back towards them, and a quick glance in Loki's direction reassures her that he is back to pretending to be a gentleman. _Focus,_ she tells herself. She has a lot of work ahead of her – packing up, moving in, unpacking, selling the trailer – and it would really be aggravating if she picked a place, and then decided she'd made the wrong decision.

She follows Mrs. Lassiter to the apartment, Loki ambling along behind them and studying everything with obvious curiosity. Unexpectedly, she finds herself smiling, despite the potential dangers of Loki being discovered.

_He_ does _care._

They finish their assessment of the first place, and then go to visit 'Apartment B', the one that's on the outskirts of town pretty close to the lab. Jane glances nervously through the space between it and the next building, in the direction of the lab, just before they go in to view the second apartment. Then she remembers that it's Sunday and neither Darcy nor Erik – though of course it's Erik she's mostly worried about, since he'd know Loki on sight – should be at the lab today.

Although she's always loved all the windows in the lab, with all the sunlight and stars that she can see through them, ever since meeting Loki all those windows seem to be more of a liability than anything else.

But she had been able to tell even from here that the lab was empty, so Jane had breathed an inner sigh of relief, and focused again on the task at hand.

Viewing completed, they say goodbye to the landlord and then stand outside in the street. Jane again gazes through the gap between buildings, looking out across the desert. She's silent for a long moment, still pondering the relative merits of the two places, Loki waiting patiently beside her.

As much as she loves the idea of living away from the lab, she thinks she's going to go with Apartment B, the place they just finished visiting. It's cheaper, has the extra room, and it _is_ quieter. Oh, and the landlord said that she'd have access to the roof and could even take over a corner and create a little outdoor space for herself, if she wants.

She says as much to Loki, who nods slowly. "I do not have much experience in such matters," he points out, "and sadly, my personal chambers in Asgard are larger than even that first domicile we visited."

Jane smiles a little, shaking her head. "Spoiled, were you?"

He does that haughty expression of his. "I was a _prince_ of Asgard, wench!" Though as soon as he finishes saying it, he looks a little sad to her. _Was_, indeed.

Feeling bad for him, Jane steps close and stretches up on her tiptoes to kiss him. As much to distract him as anything else, she asks: "So I'm guessing your vote is for the first place? It's bigger."

He shakes his head, sliding a gentle hand across her cheek and into her hair. "You have no servants to maintain the residence, and living alone as you habitually do, I cannot see that you would need so much space. And you did appear to like the larger wardrobe. Or did I mistake that?"

'_Wardrobe'? He must mean the closet_. "No, you're right….I think I'll sleep on it tonight, but yes, I do think I'm leaning towards this place." She motions over her shoulder.

"Excellent," Loki says, cocking his head and smirking as his hands wrap around her hips and pull her lower body flush against his. "Will you spend the rest of this day with me? I promise I will be _exceedingly_ gentle, compared to last night."

It's very tempting – surprisingly so, given how sated she'd felt when she woke up, after everything they'd done - and she starts to say yes…and then bites her lip, as she remembers Director Fury's phone call. He'd asked her to call him later this afternoon once her apartment-hunting was done, and for obvious reasons, it's probably better if Loki isn't with her when she does that.

It's so hard not to share her excitement with Loki, because what Fury had told her had changed _everything_. When she'd found out that Thor had taken the Tesseract and left after the Battle of Manhattan, she'd been convinced that it was the end of her Einstein-Rosen Bridge dream. No power source, no portal to another world. Then, she'd decided to keep working on it anyway, double-checking all her calculations, on the off-chance that somehow a suitable power source would turn up…

And now such a power source just might be within reach. Fury had told her that Tony Stark was considering building 'the mother of all arc-reactors' (his words), and Fury wanted Jane to assess the feasibility of such a project being able to fuel her homemade portal.

She doesn't need to go to Asgard anymore – and in fact, she may not be welcome there anyway considering she's Loki's lover, even if Thor had been too gentlemanly to say so – but that hasn't lessened the allure of visiting other worlds. And of being proven right. Everyone who used to laugh at her and call her crazy, her peers in the scientific community? Seeing them have to eat their words would be _so _sweet.

She also realizes that Loki would probably be invaluable as a guide to the other worlds in the universe, which is part of the reason why she wants so badly to share this with him.

However, until she knows for sure why he's here, and why he attacked the Earth before, she can't risk it. She'd told Thor that she didn't see herself as being useful to Loki in any way that could possibly threaten the Earth, but if this arc reactor idea works and she's back in the game…

Could that even be why he came here in the first place? On the off chance that the one mortal capable of building a portal to other worlds might eventually find the means to make one?

But Jane shoves these unwanted notions away. Even though she's only known him for a brief time, Loki has given no sign whatsoever that he even cares about Jane's work, or conquering Earth again_. If he's so keen to take over, wouldn't he be encouraging me, at least a _little, _to keep doing my research? But he hasn't asked me about it, or even spoken to me about it, not_ once.

She's no expert on world domination or tyrants, but Loki would have to be a pretty patient man (god) to just sit back and watch things unfold on their own for who knows how many months, years, maybe even decades.

_Yes, but he's immortal. He has all the time in the world,_ a negative, nagging little voice reminds her.

_Well, I don't even know if Stark _can_ build a stable arc-reactor powerful enough. It's still theoretical, _Jane argues with herself. Until she _knows_ this will work, it seems pointless to worry about pitfalls that may not even exist.

Besides, Thor is still out there. If Loki puts a foot wrong, Thor is going to come back, right?

But Loki is still waiting for her answer, so Jane shakes her head and looks up at him regretfully. "Sorry, I'm up to my eyeballs in work. I wasn't expecting to sleep in til noon. I blame _you_ completely for that, by the way." Good thing he has no clue about the 'Sunday is A Day of Rest' lab rule.

"How you wound me, Jane Foster," Loki says drolly, clutching dramatically at his heart. "May I at least accompany you to your ale-barrel?" He motions towards the trailer in the distance.

"You may," Jane responds, grinning and linking her arm through his.

He smiles down at her, and Jane thinks, not for the first time, just how sweetly charming he can be when he lets down his guard. Maybe she's the only one who's ever even seen him like this? She wonders.

They walk away at a leisurely pace, too absorbed in each other to notice Erik Selvig is standing in the street several buildings down from them, an expression of panicked realization and horror spreading like slow poison over his face.


	8. The God Who Cried Wolf Ch 1

**The God Who Cried Wolf (1/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: January 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Part Four of the Light in the Dark series. Jane and Loki's secret is out….and Jane is about to have a **_**very **_**bad day. **

**Beta: Words cannot express how grateful I am to canyr12 for helping me wrestle this chapter into something readable. *big hugs***

**Disclaimer: Not mine. *sobs in the corner* **

**Author's Note: It's movie!verse, as usual.**

The next morning finds Jane standing in the middle of her trailer, deep in thought with chaos all around her.

The first thing she'd done yesterday once Loki had left had been to call Fury. Definitely an interesting conversation, although Jane certainly had mixed feelings about it. Hadn't she once promised herself that she would never do anything to help SHIELD?

She'd taken the money they'd offered, once they'd returned all her equipment to her, and tried to forgive the 'borrowing'. It had been enough money to fund her work for a year or more, and not having to write endless grants to fund her research freed up a lot of energy and time that Jane was able to put into her work. A _lot _of energy and time. As an added bonus, she also got to avoid the disappointment of being refused funding from other, more conventional government agencies.

But everything else that had happened after Thor had been trapped in Asgard – the Tesseract, Traunsee, not even letting her know Thor had been here – well, she hadn't wanted to help them any longer, but their money and resources had been undeniably useful. _Working with them isn't the same as_ helping _them_, she'd tried to convince herself at the time.

And that thought had kept coming back during the discussion with Fury. With a new potential power source, Jane might finally be able to prove her theories, might finally be able to build an actual working bridge between worlds. _I'm not helping them, _she'd told herself firmly._ I'm helping_ myself_. Period._

More than once during the conversation, Jane had felt really disappointed that the one person she most wanted to share her excitement with is the one person she can't – Loki. Finally, _finally_, there's a promising power source out there, and real help being offered by SHIELD, and she can't talk about any of that!

When she'd finally come down a bit from the excitement of talking to Fury, she'd decided to make the all-important decision: Was she really sure about 'Apartment B'?

That's when it had occurred to her – she and Loki have only been involved in this 'arrangement' for what, around two weeks? She's uprooting herself and moving into a new place, and all for someone she's only been with for a _very_ short period of time?

_Not to mention, it's not even a _relationship_. It's just sex_, Jane had realized uncomfortably.

_What the hell are you doing?_ asked the familiar, negative little voice. _Never mind you've only 'been' with him for two weeks….do you even really _know_ him? Let's be honest with ourselves._

_He won't tell you why he attacked Puente Antiguo. He won't tell you why he attacked Manhattan. He hasn't opened up to you at all about the fact that he's not Asgardian _(assuming Jane had overheard that correctly). _He doesn't see anything wrong with lying to Erik and Darcy, or to SHIELD. Is this really someone you should be involved with? Is having kinky sex really that all-important to you? _

_What's _wrong_ with you?_

_Nothing,_ she'd retorted. _I'm tired of living in this…ale-barrel_. She'd been living in the trailer almost a year, way longer than originally planned. It was only supposed to be a 'temporary living situation', right?

And honestly, she's been seeing Loki so frequently that it doesn't even feel like a two-week old…whatever-it-is. Maybe it's not a 'relationship', but it is _something_. It's not just kinky sex. Jane _knows_ it, even if there's nothing tangible she can point to. And maybe – probably – Loki would even deny it's anything more than just sex. But Jane knows better.

Or _thinks _she does.

But the other side of her brain isn't done:_ You still can't pretend that all that stuff you two don't talk about is not a big, big problem. The whole world-domination thing? How much longer are you going to ignore what's right in front of your face?_

_It doesn't matter,_ she'd again retorted right back. He's done nothing to hurt her.

_That you know about,_ whispered the doubting little voice.

_Doesn't matter,_ Jane had repeated firmly to herself. If nothing else, she's tired of living in this claustrophobic space. That's enough reason to move. Period.

Too impatient to sleep on it after all, she'd called the landlord of Apartment B and said she'd take the place, if it was still available. It was, and in fact it had been available right away.

So Jane had decided it was high time she started de-cluttering. De-clutter first, then start to pack up the trailer contents. With any luck, she'll be able to get some furniture soon, and maybe within a week or so, she can actually see Loki without having to also see the inside of another hotel room.

She'd spent the rest of the evening trying to do just that. The less crap she had to move, the better.

This morning had started off much the same. Jane had managed to organize most of the files from the lab that were taking up way too much room on her kitchen table (and honestly, they belonged _at_ the lab, didn't they?). Then she'd gone through her closet, creating a pile of clothes-to-donate which is now dominating most of the space on her bed, and right at the moment she is pulling all of the dishes out of her cabinets, to see if she really needs to keep _everything_.

She checks her watch. One of the advantages of being a research scientist is that you don't need to keep a strict nine-to-five schedule, but it's already 10:30am and she can't really blow off the entire day. She'll go in just for the afternoon, she decides. She reaches for her cell phone to call Darcy, and let her know she'll be coming in later-

A loud knock at the door startles Jane. Hardly anybody ever comes by. Maybe it's Darcy, wondering where Jane is? While it's not unusual for Jane to sleep in, 10:30 _is_ a little late for her.

But when Jane opens the door, after almost stumbling over a box of dishes in the process, she doesn't recognize the woman standing there. She's got green eyes and short red, wavy hair, and she's dressed in a black leather jacket and black jeans. "Yes?" Jane asks, frowning.

"Doctor Foster, my name is Natasha Romanov. I work for SHIELD."

"Oh," Jane says. "Please, come in."

Jane watches Agent Romanov weave gracefully around all the obstacles on the floor. "Sorry," Jane says awkwardly, embarrassed.

The agent looks around, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going somewhere, Doctor Foster?"

"What? Oh, no," Jane laughs. "I'm moving into a new place in town. Just starting to…pre-pack?" She removes some kitchen towels from a chair and motions the agent towards it. "Are you here about the Stark-Foster Project?"

Agent Romanov doesn't move. "Yes. In fact, there've been some new developments. _Important _developments. And I've been asked to bring you in."

Jane blinks. "Oh, OK," she says. "Wow, things are moving much faster than I expected, based on what the Director and I talked about last night."

"I'm afraid I don't know the exact details, Doctor. It's above my pay-grade," the agent says, smiling faintly. "But I _do_ know that the Director is waiting, so if you'd be kind enough to come with me-" The agent motions towards the door.

"OK, I, uh," Jane tries to think. Does she need any of her notebooks? "I should probably call Darcy – my lab assistant – and let her know where I'm going. Or wait, should she come too-"

"It's taken care of," Agent Romanov said. "And we'll send later for any notes you think you may need, after you are briefed."

"Oh," Jane says. Really, no notes of any kind? She shrugs and grabs her backpack, and walks up to the agent, who peers into Jane's face very closely for a second. Before Jane can ask what's wrong, though, the agent turns and opens the door for her. _What was_ that? Jane wonders.

The agent ushers her out, pausing to let Jane lock up after them. That's when Jane sees the small fleet of black vans waiting. Four of them, with a few men in suit jackets standing around, and another man all in black, with what looks like a…_bow_ strapped to his back.

Something feels _off _to Jane. Do they really think she's that valuable, that they're sending an armed escort to collect her? Maybe SHIELD is starting to take her work _that _seriously, even if Stark's super-powerful arc-reactor hasn't actually been built yet. Jane's not sure how she feels about that.

If they do think she's that valuable, who or what are they trying to protect her from?

_Gee, I don't know. _Loki_, maybe?_ sarcastically pipes up the negative little voice.

As they get closer to the first van, the man with the bow turns and fixes Jane with a stare that makes her vaguely uncomfortable. It seems….distrustful.

But then again, what does Jane know? She's an astrophysicist, not a psychologist. Reading stars is so much easier than reading _people_, sometimes.

"Tasha?" the man asks Agent Romanov.

The agent shakes her head. "Shall we, Doctor Foster?" she opens the back door of the van.

Swallowing her unease (or trying to), Jane climbs into the van, laying her backpack across her lap. Agent Romanov climbs in next to her, and another man in a dark suit climbs into the passenger seat. The agent with the bow takes it off and attaches it somehow down on the floor in the front of the van, before sliding in behind the wheel.

"Let's go," Agent Romanov says, and they head away from Puente Antiguo.

For ten minutes, the ride is mostly silent. At one point, Jane tries to make a joke about the big security detail, and Agent Romanov smiles a little, but says nothing. Jane's nerves gradually crank up higher and higher, even as she tries to convince herself that she's blowing things out of proportion.

The truth is, she doesn't really trust SHIELD. How can she, after everything that's happened?

But right now they hold all the cards. If Stark can really make this arc-reactor work, if Jane can really access almost unlimited power as a result…well, there's no way she's passing that up. Even if she has to deal with SHIELD's paranoia in the meantime. At least this time they came to _her_, instead of cutting her out and going to Erik.

So even if Jane doesn't agree with their methods, she's kind of stuck. She's sold her soul to the devil.

Just as Jane finishes reminding herself of all these facts, Romanov turns to her. "I'm so sorry Doctor, but we need you to put this on." She's holding what looks like a black hood in her hand.

Jane blinks at her. "What?"

"As you can see," the agent says calmly, "Security is very important to us. You're going to be working on a project that could give us access to other worlds. Other _universes_. I'm sure you can appreciate how secretive we feel we need to be. So it's S.O.P. that nobody – not even you – knows where you're going. At least for right now."

It makes sense (at least some). Jane's accustomed to thinking about these things from a scientific perspective, but of course the government is going to be worried about potential problems. Intelligence leaks, that kind of thing.

Besides, Jane isn't sure she has much of a choice. She lets Agent Romanov slip the hood over her head.

They drive for what feels like a very _very_ long time (is it hours, or does it only seem like it?), and then Jane feels the van slow to a stop. She starts to take the hood off, but Agent Romanov stops her.

"Sorry, Doctor," she says, apologetic yet firm. "My orders are pretty specific. Just let me lead you. I know it feels awkward, but we'll take the hood off pretty soon, I promise."

"Uh, OK," Jane says, sliding carefully out of the van at the agent's urging. Her feet grit first in sand, and then on concrete. A door whooshes open in front of them, and the air around Jane turns much cooler. She's inside some kind of building, clearly.

There's more walking, their footsteps echoing in a hallway. Romanov's hand is firm on Jane's shoulder, guiding her eventually to stop. After a moment there's the sound of a door being unlocked. Jane is led forward, and the hood is removed.

Jane looks around her. The room is small and mostly empty, except for a table, two chairs, and a long mirror along one wall.

There's no mistaking where she's been brought. _It's an interrogation room._ Jane's hands turn ice cold.

"Please wait here, Doctor. Someone will be with you shortly," the agent continues in the same calm tones, as if nothing is out of the ordinary here. She slips out, and Jane hears the door's lock engage behind her.

Jane's cold hands clench tightly together. _I could be in big trouble here._

The instant the SHIELD agent makes contact with Jane, he _feels_ it.

Loki had been in the middle of the desert, checking the intricate lacework of his warning-spells, searching for any signs of Thanos, or the Chitauri, or indeed anything at all that should not have been there.

Still nothing. He checks again regardless, because there is not much else for him to do otherwise. He supposes he could explore Midgard again, see if there is anything on this barren rock of a planet that could serve to defend him if it comes to that, but it would just be something to fill time, and Loki knows it all too well.

So once his task is done, Loki turns his mind to other, more pleasing matters. Such as what bed-games he will play with his mortal lover when next he sees her.

Not for the first time, he wonders if he has allowed things to move too swiftly. He did not expect to grow so…_fond _of her, so quickly. Firmly, he reminds himself that he must let it develop no further, no _deeper_, than that. This is no time to gain himself a consort. Even if he had something worthy to offer – a palace, a country, a Realm – he has too many enemies to consider weighing his escape down with the extra baggage of a mate.

But it matters not; she seems content with the little he has to offer. She has proven most accommodating to his desires, and it makes him wonder how much further he can press her into submission. What other acts, perhaps, he can demand of-

There is an abrupt _tremble_ in the web of magic he has stretched over the desert-city where Jane resides, sending him a sign that something is amiss. Jane is not at ease about something.

Within less than a breath, he magicks himself inside Jane's trailer, but he keeps himself cloaked in invisibility for now. Even on a planet populated by beings so much weaker than himself, Loki prefers to pick his battles. And he promised Thor he would not engage them unless necessary, did he not?

Loki smirks to himself as he takes in the scene. Ah, the irony that the so-called 'Black Widow' – a type of Midgardian spider, if his memory does not fail him – should be the one to trigger _his_ web.

He observes Romanov's interaction with Jane, following quickly but silently after them as they exit Jane's dwelling.

He raises an eyebrow at the group of black transports, frowning at Barton's presence here.

No, this does not bode well.

_I have been too complacent, perhaps_.

Seeing Barton brings back unpleasant recollections, and for a moment he feels guilt, remembering how he used the mortal, but he banishes it at the next breath. Guilt serves no useful purpose.

He turns his attention to Jane, who is obviously nervous. He can practically _taste _it. For a brief moment, he considers simply collecting her and magicking them both away. SHIELD is no real threat to him, after all. She will probably not appreciate being taken away from her work, but it would be nothing to him to come back and steal whatever she will need, should she desire it. She can work in secrecy and never fear interruption by SHIELD or indeed any unwelcome mortal organization, good or ill.

Uncertain, he observes the brief exchange between the Widow and Barton, then watches them all climb into their transports, considering his next move.

Does the situation necessitate Jane's removal? So far, despite Jane's unease, he has not seen much of anything to indicate that they are even aware of Jane's involvement with him. Were they threatening, that would be another matter entirely, but even then, there is no true peril here. Not to him, and he will see to it not to his lover.

Choosing to wait, he climbs swiftly and silently onto the top of the transport containing Jane, holding on as the vehicle drives off.

Waiting gives him time to think, and when another thought occurs, he gives it due consideration. He had been unable to curry favour with Odin, even once he explained his ploy to deceive Thanos. Perhaps he should see if these mortals have more sense than the All-Father?

He can still whisk Jane away at any time, should they threaten her. She is not in any danger, not while he is here.

But as he is not one to show all his cards unless completely necessary, first he will make certain whether or not their tryst has been discovered. Jane may be nervous, but he promised her he would not allow SHIELD to harm her, had he not? Surely she will remember that, and her faith in her god will sustain her, until Loki is certain what is going on here.

And some time later, as the transport continues on, another thought occurs as well: This might give him a rare opportunity to see where Jane's loyalties truly lie. If the other Midgardians do suspect his involvement with her, and accuse her, will his _fondness _be rewarded? Or will she betray him, as all the others before her (Odin, Frigga, Thor)? She possesses no knowledge that can harm him – he has seen to it, has told her nothing of use – so he need have no concerns there. And if she is all too willing to betray him, better he learns of it the sooner.

So he waits. And watches.

Jane sits down in one of the hard metal chairs, trying not to twist her shaky hands together. If they do not suspect anything, it's best not to give them any reason to.

_Maybe this has nothing to do with Loki at all,_ she tries to convince herself, for probably the hundredth time.

_Maybe Director Fury is going to show up any moment, tell me the Stark-Foster project is progressing beyond anyone's expectations, and he needs my help. And I'll feel really silly about being so nervous._

Maybe that's all this is. She's here for a debriefing, nothing more.

_Oh please,_ mocks the negative little voice in her head. _You are the_ dumbest _smart person ever. Of _course _this is about Loki! You need to stop lying to yourself, Jane._

_And while we're on the subject,_ the voice continues, _where the fuck _is_ he? Didn't he promise he would never let this happen to you? This _exact _thing?_

_Doesn't it make you wonder what else he was lying about-_

The door is unlocked and opened, cutting the negative little voice off, and Jane catches a glimpse of several armed guards standing outside in the hallway, before Erik walks in. The door shuts and locks behind him again.

"Erik!" Jane says, standing up and trying not to show how relieved she is to see him. If Erik's here, then everything must be OK, right?

"Jane," Erik says, and he sounds almost as relieved as Jane feels. He comes over and takes her hands – his feel nearly as cold as hers – and then he peers closely into her face, just like Agent Romanov did earlier. What the heck is going on?

Erik's eyes search hers, his hands squeezing hers a little tighter. "Jane, I have something to tell you, and it may come as a shock, but you have to know."

"What?" Jane asks, her heart sinking. Has something happened to Thor?

"I saw you the other day, out on the street in Puente Antiguo. You came out of an apartment building, with a man."

Jane's blood turns to ice-water. _It was Erik. That's why SHIELD brought me in. He saw us, he _recognized _Loki_. This is not the way she wanted Erik to find out, not after everything that Loki had put him through.

_Really?_ the negative voice pipes up sarcastically again. _How exactly were you planning to tell him? Throw him a 'Surprise! I'm fucking the being who mind-fucked you' party?_

"Jane," Erik continues. "I recognized him. It was _Loki_."

Jane pulls her hands away from Erik's, unable to look him in the face. He thinks she doesn't _know_ who she's been sleeping with. "Jane?" he asks, sounding very worried now.

_There's no easy way to say this, so just get it over with_, Jane coaches herself. Still, she can't meet his eyes as she answers. "I know. He's the one I've been…._seeing_ these last couple of weeks."

Erik's jaw drops. "Wh-what?" There's a long, painful silence. "How could you do this? How could you lie to us, to me-" he interrupts his own question. "Did he threaten you?"

"No!" Jane answers vehemently, finally meeting Erik's gaze. _At least, he hasn't threatened me since the beginning-_ "Look, I know how this looks, how it _sounds_, but he hasn't threatened me, or hurt me, or tried to control me in any way-"

"How would you even _know_, Jane? If he was controlling your mind? I've been there, been under Loki's power. I created the gateway for him to bring his alien army through to attack Earth, and I did it even though I didn't want to. Do you have any idea how easy would it be for him to make you fall in love with him?" He steps closer, reaching out to grasp her shoulders.

Jane shakes her head. "You told me what it felt like, remember? To have your mind under someone else's control? Watching yourself do things as if it was someone else doing them? I don't feel like that." And yet, if Loki has her under some kind of spell, would she even recognize it? She can recognize mind-control – or thinks she can – but what about _magic_?

Erik scoffs and shakes his head. "If you _are_ being mind-controlled, you wouldn't be able to tell me-" He says, though it seems to be more to himself than to her.

"I'm _not_ being controlled," Jane insists.

Erik stares at her for a long moment. "OK, let's assume I believe you. I want to know why, then, you lied to me and Darcy. Are you working with Loki?"

Jane shakes her head, starting to feel angry now, even as she tells herself that Erik doesn't deserve it.

_Trying to cover up your own shame?_ asks the nagging little voice.

Jane pushes it away. "No! The reason I didn't tell you, was because I didn't know _how_. That's all. Look, I didn't plan to get…involved with him. I was there when he attacked the town with the Destroyer and tried to kill Thor, remember? We all had front-row seats! But, I don't know, when I met him in person…." Jane draws a long, shaky breath. It sounds so pathetic when she says it like that, but what else can she say? That she had _needed_ something, and Loki had provided it? No, she's not sharing her kinks with Erik.

"And I'm not _working_ with Loki on anything," Jane continues. "We are just….seeing each other. I'm not building him a portal or anything. Heck, we've never even discussed-"

"So, this whole Stark-Foster thing, Loki knows nothing about it?" Erik scoffs.

"If he knows about it, and I have my doubts, it's not because of anything _I_ told him," Jane answers.

There's another long, awkward pause. "This is not you," Erik finally says. "The Jane I've known since she was a child, would never keep a secret like this from me-"

"Oh, _I'm_ keeping secrets?" Jane retorted, her anger finally spilling over. "What about _you_?"

Erik blinks at her, confused. "What?"

"How long were you working on the Tesseract, Erik? How long were you listening to me pining for Thor, thinking that I'd never find a power source strong enough to create the wormhole, and then you'd head off to SHIELD and spend the day looking right at the one power source that I needed!"

It's finally out, the ball of resentment in her chest that's been there ever since everything that had come to light after the Battle of Manhattan. She'd told herself over and over that it hadn't been Erik's fault, and yet….

"Jane, I didn't have a choice!" Erik yells, obviously upset. "Have you forgotten that Loki had been controlling me for months? That the reason I even agreed to work on the Tesseract was because he influenced me? You knew all this, and you still became 'involved'-" Erik makes sarcastic air quotes"-with him? What he did was no different than assaulting me. Hell, _raping_ me – violating my mind. And yet, now you're telling me that you're sleeping with him of your own free will?"

_He's making some excellent points,_ the negative little voice whispers. _Loki _did _do all this nasty stuff. But you have blinders on, don't you?_

Jane winces at the rage and pain in Erik's face. "I'm sorry, Erik, that was uncalled for," she apologizes, feeling the sting of guilt. But it doesn't change the basic facts. "Look, I don't blame you for thinking Loki is dangerous – hell, you thought _Thor_ was dangerous! – or that I'm not in my right mind right now-"

"You aren't!" Erik shouts. Oh yes, he thinks she's lost it.

She takes another deep breath. "Erik," she says slowly, as calmly as she can manage, "I need you to believe me, to trust me on this. I'm doing everything out of my own free will. Loki is not controlling me, and I'm not helping him try to take over the Earth again. Look, I don't know why he attacked us, not in Puente Antiguo, and again in Manhattan, and yes, I do remember everything that you told me about what happened to you, and how it felt. But the man I've been seeing… " she pauses, shaking her head slowly. "It just doesn't match up. It doesn't make any sense. I have to think that there were some kind of extenuating circumstances, some reason _why_ he did all that."

_Weak, weak, weak,_ mocks the little voice in her head. That _the best you got? Really?_

Erik looks appalled. "Jane, he's the God of _Lies_. Whatever he told you, no matter how convincingly he told you-"

"He hasn't told me _anything,_" Jane retorts, though it feels like such a weak justification, again. Why does it sound so _stupid_, when she tries to translate what her gut is telling her into actual logic? "Look, he's been…good to me, OK?"

How can she convey to other people what seems to make such perfect sense to her?

"Please, Jane," Erik pleads, visibly calming himself and taking her hands, "_Please _be logical about this. Even if he's been 'good to you', do you think it's an accident that he picked _you_ of all people? He wants you for some purpose. You can build him another Bifrost-"

Jane pulls her hands from Erik's again, shaking her head. "It's not about that. He's all alone, and he needed someone. And I needed what he was offering me." She doesn't want to say any more than that. Remembering something, she looks up at Erik again. "_Someone_ once told me, a long time ago, that relationships _aren't_ logical."

Erik throws up his hands, angry all over again. "You can't use that argument with me, Jane! Besides the fact that you know all too well how badly _that _relationship ended for me, the stakes here are just too goddamned high!" By the end of the sentence, Erik is yelling once again.

Jane turns away, but Erik isn't done, though he is obviously working very hard to calm himself down. "You need to cooperate with us, Jane. You need to help us stop whatever Loki has planned. Tell us everything you know. You have to. Thousands, maybe _millions_ of lives-"

Jane turns back to Erik. "I don't _know_ anything. Except this feeling in my gut that you're wrong about him. That _everyone_ is wrong about him," she insists.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Erik says stiffly, after a long silence. He's angry and hurt, and it makes Jane's heart ache. But even if she wants to, she can't tell him what she doesn't know.

"I'm sorry too, Erik," she says. "For not telling you about Loki from the start. I didn't do any of this to hurt you-"

"Save it, Jane," Erik rasps angrily. Jane tries to hold back the tears as Erik raps loudly on the door and then storms out of the room, the door locking ominously behind him. But she fails.

What if he's right? What if Loki really _is_ using her, or enspelled her?

And even if Loki isn't using her - either just for sex, or for something far more dangerous - is her 'arrangement' with him worth all this? Worth losing Erik's friendship?

She stares at the walls, but there's no answers there.

And no Loki.

They leave her alone in the room for another two hours, and it's agonizing.

Jane's stomach aches, tied in tight knots when it's not growling from hunger.

But the worst is the doubts, the nagging little voices in her head. _You didn't want to work for SHIELD, but they came running with their chequebooks, and now here you are. You should've remembered how they screwed you before, and stayed far, far away from them._

_And while we're on the subject, something else you should've stayed far away from was Loki. All his promises, and where is he now? _

_I guess the truth is, he was just after someone to play his twisted little sex games with. And now that you're in trouble, it's not so much fun, so he's in the wind._

_You'll never see him again. _

_Stop it!_ Jane yells silently at the voices.

But they are stubborn: _He's not coming. You're all alone._

"Loki," she finally dares to say it out loud, sure that someone from SHIELD is watching and listening, but she no longer cares who else might hear, except _him_.

But he doesn't come. _Where are you? Why did you leave me here like this?_

She paces the room, arms crossed tightly around herself, trying not to hyperventilate, trying not to feel like the walls are closing in on her. The negative voices continue to natter on, and a headache is starting behind her eyes.

When the door opens again, it's almost a relief, but not for long. It's Fury, holding a Styrofoam cup, and two file folders.

"Doctor Foster," he says, taking one of the chairs. "Please, sit."

Jane's initial impulse is to resist his invitation, but then she reminds herself that she's done nothing wrong, she hasn't hurt _anyone_, and so she decides the best thing is to play along. She has nothing to be guilty about.

Wordlessly, Fury pushes the cup towards her. It's water, or seems to be, and though Jane doesn't really trust it, she's too hungry and thirsty to care. She empties it all in nearly one swallow.

Fury has one file folder, the thinner one, open, flipping through it, and Jane isn't surprised to see it's all about her. "Jane Emily Foster, Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Michigan State University," Fury begins. "Born June 9, 1981." He goes on, listing off other key facts from her life, like the date and cause of her father's death, the titles of the first two scientific papers she published on her Einstein-Rosen bridge theories…

Jane fists her hands tightly together under the table as a sudden thought occurs to her. Loki might be nowhere to be found – where the hell _is_ he? – but maybe she's not powerless here. "I think I am entitled to a lawyer," she interjects as soon as Fury pauses for breath.

"Under the Patriot Act," Fury drawls, sitting back in the chair and crossing his arms, "You're not entitled to _anything_, Doctor."

Jane's anger makes an abrupt return. "You're labeling me as a terrorist?"

"How else would you describe it, Doctor? You are, by your own admission, sleeping with a known war criminal."

_It's true,_ whispers the negative little voice, but Jane shakes her head. "Like I told Erik, I know how this looks. But-"

"But?" Fury cuts in. "There are no _buts_ here, Doctor. Would you like to know how many people in total Loki has killed during his last two visits to our planet?" He pulls the other file folder out. It's much thicker than the file on her.

Fury flips it open and shoves it in front of her. Pictures of Loki in his various armours, pictures of Loki in a glass-walled cell, reams of numbers listing how many people were killed, how many injured, estimated costs of the damage to downtown Manhattan-

"Your demi-god 'boyfriend' is responsible, either directly or indirectly, for killing or injuring just over a thousand people. So you'll forgive me if I am looking for one helluva good explanation from you, as to why you think what you're doing with this entity is defensible."

Gritting her teeth, Jane shoves the file right back at Fury. She decides to go on the offensive. "Did anyone actually stop and ask Loki _why_ he did these things?"

Fury scoffs. "Psychopaths generally don't give rational answers, Doctor. So what would be the point?"

"So, you didn't bother," Jane presses.

"Even if I wanted to – and again, I _didn't _– Thor took care of it for us. The Asgardian royals said they would take Loki and the Tesseract right away, and who are we to argue with gods? With the Tesseract on Asgard, Earth is no longer a target, and that was my only concern at the time." But the look on Fury's face suggests to Jane that he hadn't been entirely happy with that turn of events.

"In any case, according to Dr. Selvig, _you_ haven't gotten an answer from Loki, either," Fury points out.

"I didn't ask," Jane admits.

"And why not?"

Jane pauses to think, trying to figure out how best to put it. "At first, honestly, I don't think I wanted to know. I guess I was afraid I might hear something from him that I wouldn't be able to live with. But the longer I've been with him, the more I think that it's not possible that he did these things….willingly."

"You'll need to be a little more specific, Doctor," Fury prods her after a brief silence.

Jane chooses her words carefully again. "The way he's acted towards me."

_Oh, because he's always been _so _nice, _pipesup the sarcastic, rebellious voice in the back of her mind. _He's never been vicious, has he? Oh wait, he was pretty nasty to Thor, wasn't he? And how about at the beginning, when he was acting like he'd like nothing better than to skin you alive, using just his _teeth_? Do you think maybe there's just the slightest possibility that Fury and the rest of them are in the right, and you're a lovestruck _moron_? _

_Stop,_ Jane tells herself. He's been pretty good – cultural misunderstanding aside, anyway – since they agreed to their 'arrangement'. _If he's such an evil creature, why stop that first time? The first time he yanked me out of my trailer and away to a hotel, and I was scared out of my mind? He didn't hurt me, or force me into anything. He hasn't come to the lab and stood over me with a dagger. He hasn't _abused_ me. _

The question is, how can she make other people see this, without having to get into the realm of 'too much information'?

"Tell me, Director," Jane continues, "if Loki wanted to make me build him another portal, how do you think he would go about it?"

Fury leans back and crosses his arms again, single eye narrowed at her. "I ask the questions in this room, Doctor."

Unable to sit still any longer under Fury's fierce glare, Jane gets up and paces slowly back and forth. "Fine, I'll tell you. He takes over my mind."

"That's what Selvig thought was going on initially, when he first spotted you and reported in," Fury says. "But I don't believe Loki is controlling you. You don't exhibit any of the signs."

"No," Jane agrees. "So if he doesn't own my mind, the other option would be to threaten me. He's a lot stronger than me, than _any _of us humans, actually. I'm sure there's any number of ways he could torture me, terrify me, force me with physical intimidation to do whatever he wanted." Talking about him like that reminds her too vividly of how they first met, but she clamps down hard on those memories. Really not helpful right now.

She stops pacing and leans on the table, making herself meet Fury's gaze. "But he _hasn't_."

Fury frowns thunderously. "You're dancing around one other very obvious possibility, Doctor. Loki doesn't need to threaten you. He's the God of Lies. The _Trickster_. Don't you think it'd be pretty easy for him to convince you that he loves you? Make it seem OK to do _anything_ for him-"

Has Loki even _used_ the word 'love' when talking to her? Not that Jane can remember. She snorts derisively. "Why, because that's so much quicker and _easier_ than just beating the crap out of me? Quick, call Guantanamo Bay! 'Love conquers all'!" she declares sarcastically. It's probably not a good idea to bait Fury, but Jane can't help herself.

He just sits and glares, though, which gives Jane some time to think. There's a logical argument she can make here, she knows there _has_ to be.

"But hey, let's go with your theory," Jane continues. "So, Loki lies – or uses some kind of spell, hey, why not? – to make me fall in love with him. If that was the case, you'd think he'd be encouraging me to work on the portal for him, right?"

Fury just shrugs, clearly waiting for her to get to the point.

Jane leans further over the table, glaring hard at Fury. "Well, he hasn't. He's never – ever!- asked me about my work. Never tried to push, or even _suggest_, that it's something I should be working harder or faster on. He's never even visited me in the lab!" Well, that's not _strictly_ true, but since Loki's visit had been only sexually-motivated, Jane doesn't think the details are relevant here.

"If anything," she finishes, "he's kind of been a distraction. Does _any_ of that sound like someone whose goal is to get another gateway built?"

"You forget, Doctor. Loki lives a lot longer than us mere mortals. He can wait." Fury retorts.

Jane scoffs and shakes her head. "Sure, he could wait, but honestly, from what I know of him, he's not _that _patient." A new thought occurs to her, one she's never considered before. "And even if he can wait, _we_ can't. He's immortal, but _I'm_ not. And maybe nobody else can build him that bridge. He waits, what, ten, fifteen, twenty years, for me to figure it out? Longer? Eventually I'm going to die, and maybe there won't be another scientist for a long time, if ever, who can make my theory work. Or," she adds, as still another thought occurs, "I get hit by a bus randomly tomorrow and die. How does _that_ help his cause?"

"Fine," Fury said brusquely, tapping his fingers impatiently on the file folders. "So far, you've told me what he hasn't been doing. What _has _he been doing?"

Jane goes back to pacing, feeling her face grow hot, but there's no denying it. She knew this line of questioning was coming, though she still tries to dodge it as long as she can. "He's not with me all the time. And before you ask, no, I haven't asked what he's doing when he's not with me."

"And what does he do when he's _with_ you?" Fury asks impatiently.

Jane has to stifle a nervous giggle. _Um, gets me naked, ties me up, and teases me with illusory snakes? Phone sex at the lab? Spanks me while pretending I'm his rebellious sex slave?_ It might be worth the embarrassment to say it out loud and see how Fury reacts.

But in the end, she loses what little nerve she has. "We sleep together. In the Biblical sense."

Fury shakes his head in disbelief. "I know some women are attracted to dangerous men, but don't you think you're taking it way too far? Assuming, that is, I even believe you at all."

Jane throws up her hands and paces again. "Director, let me assure you, I am a crappy liar. Both Erik and Darcy – and my Mom! – will confirm that." But then she realizes she _has_ been lying, to Erik and Darcy and pretty much everyone lately. A lie of omission, but still a lie.

Right now, Erik probably thinks she _is _a good liar, all things considered. And it's not like she can blame him.

She slows her steps, thinking fast. She needs more ammunition. And there's _something_, some piece of evidence that she can use, she can feel it, but it's choosing to elude her at the moment.

In the meantime, she adds: "Look, I realize I've only known him a few weeks, but the point is, he's been pretty good to me. And even when he does do something I don't like, I can always stand up to him and tell him off. And he's backed down every time." She hesitates, then adds: "And the one time he did frighten me, _badly_, it was same thing – when he realized I was terrified, he backed off." Jane stops and looks Fury straight in the eye again. "Does that sound like the behaviour of a megalomaniac psychopath bent on world domination?"

"Probably nothing more than a very clever and sophisticated act, to lull you into trusting his crazy ass," Fury retorts. "He's the goddamned God of Lies, Doctor-"

"So what if he is? That doesn't mean he lies all the time." It's Jane's turn to scoff. And yet, there's the rebellious little voice again: _Yes, but haven't you told _yourself _quite a few times what a good actor Loki seems to be?_

Just then the 'God of Lies' reference finally shakes loose the idea Jane's been trying to prise out of her grey matter. _Yes!_ she cheers to herself, ignoring the nagging little voice's last reminder.

She goes to lean forward on the table again. "But you know what, Director? If you don't want to take my word for it, if you don't want to _believe_ me, that's totally fine." She manages to pause for dramatic effect. "How about believing in _Thor_, though?"

Fury raises his eyebrows. "What about Thor?" he asks testily.

"He was here four days ago. He came and talked-" _Yeah, let's go with_ that – "to Loki, and after they did that, Thor decided to leave Loki here. He didn't try to take Loki back to Asgard, didn't tell Loki to stay away from me. If Thor, and presumably Odin, think it's OK for Loki to be here on Earth, then doesn't it seem plausible that there isn't any danger? Thor sees himself as Earth's protector. If he thought for _one instant_ that Loki was up to something that could hurt any of us, he would never have left Loki here. Or, he'd be back in a flash to make Loki pay. Even if you don't trust my judgment, how about Thor's? Or Odin's?" Even though Jane suspects Odin may not actually approve of Thor's decision to leave Loki here, Fury doesn't need to know that, right?

From the look on Fury's face_….well, let's just say his expression matches his last name, _Jane thinks to herself.

Going out on a limb, Jane continues. "You knew Thor was here, didn't you? I'm sure you picked up the Tesseract's power signature when he arrived. There's not much going on that SHIELD doesn't seem to know about-"

"We read the power signature, yes. But we didn't know who it was," Fury contradicts her. "You say it was Thor. I say it was _Loki_."

Jane blinks, her heart sinking. Her brilliant argument is coming unraveled. "You mean, Thor never came to see you-" _Oh crap_. Loki _had_ asked Thor not to tell SHIELD about them, so now that she thinks about it, Thor had probably just gone straight back to Asgard.

In trying to protect Jane and Loki's secret, had Thor unwittingly ruined Jane's best argument?

Jane shakes her head. It's the best defense she might have here, so she won't give it up easily. "Trust me, it wasn't Loki. He's been here for almost two months." But Jane's heart sinks all over again as she realizes that she has no proof to offer. Sure, SHIELD had picked up on Thor using the Tesseract, but she has no clue how _Loki_ had gotten here.

SHIELD obviously hadn't picked up on Loki's arrival. Or she has to assume they hadn't, since nobody had ever come to warn her about it.

"Enough, Doctor!" Fury suddenly shouts, slamming a hand down on the table, making Jane jump. "I've wasted enough time on this. The clock is ticking, Doctor. So I'll ask you one more time: What is Loki up to?"

But Jane can only mutely shake her head. Suddenly, she's _very_ afraid.

"If you won't cooperate," Fury says, his voice quiet but deadly, "I am afraid we'll have to employ more…._extreme_ measures."

_He's talking about torturing me,_ Jane realizes. _Christ, I'm in so much fucking_ trouble.

She squeezes her icy hands into fists, and tries to comfort herself: _No way Loki lets that happen. He _promised_-_

_Oh yeah? So where the _FUCK _is he, then? Abandoned first by the god of thunder, and then the god of mischief? Batting a thousand there, Janie._

"It's not my preference, though," Fury is saying. "So I'll give you the night to think about it, Doctor Foster. Maybe tomorrow you'll realize that you have a responsibility to help us."

"Wait," Jane says desperately, thinking fast. "If Thor was here and then left, you should have read _two_ power surges, right? One when he arrived, the other when he went back to Asgard. If it was Loki and he stayed, then shouldn't you only have read one surg-"

"I told you, Doctor Foster, unless the next sentence out of your mouth has to do with Loki's current whereabouts and actions, we have nothing else to talk about. At least until tomorrow morning," Fury finishes, the threat obvious.

Jane shakes her head slowly, helplessly. _Even if I wanted to tell you, I have nothing _to_ tell you_, she thinks. Frozen, she watches as Fury gathers the folders and her empty cup, and leaves.

_The torture is an empty threat. It has to be._ Even if Loki isn't about to blip in from nowhere to save her – Where is he? Has something _happened_ to him? – Jane can't imagine that Thor will be too happy if he finds out about her being tortured, either. Maybe that's an argument she can use. Tomorrow.

_Please, please,_ she prays, though she's not sure whether she's praying to Loki, or Thor, or to a non-Norse God she hasn't believed in, in years, _get me out of this._

Jane paces her cell nervously, trying not to meet the flat, indifferent stares of the guards standing around her jail.

Four armed guards had ordered her out of the interrogation room soon after Fury had left, then marched her down to this cavernous basement room, which had four large iron-barred cells set up, right in the middle.

They'd brought her food and water, and then just sat and _watched_.

Despite her nerves, Jane had been too hungry to ignore the food. But once it was consumed, there had been nothing to do but sit on the tiny cot, or pace the cell. There's a small, curtained-off area with a toilet, but that's the only privacy Jane gets.

Except for sitting on the bed and covering her face with her hands, that is. In that darkness, though, there's nothing to comfort her. So she keeps getting up and pacing.

On what has to be her hundredth circle around the cell, her stomach cramps and nausea grips her, threatening to spill her recently-acquired meal out on the floor. No matter how many times she tells herself that they won't torture her – Thor wouldn't allow it, and she's pretty sure Erik, no matter how angry and betrayed he feels right now, wouldn't be pleased, either – it doesn't remove the fear.

She's a private person, an introverted, law-abiding person who rarely breaks the speed limit and has never even had a parking ticket, and to be locked in like this, under scrutiny, is torture all by itself.

It had been bad enough when SHIELD had originally come in and 'borrowed' all her work (and she imagines they've probably done it all over again; they're probably ransacking her trailer and the lab right this minute, as she paces in impotent circles), but this confinement is so much worse than even that.

She can't even see the stars.

But worst of all is the feeling of complete and utter loneliness and abandonment. She's sure SHIELD won't bother to tell her remaining family where she is. Darcy similarly probably has no clue. Thor is too far away to help, assuming he still even cares. And Erik? Erik doesn't trust her any more, that much is obvious.

And Loki…

_Empty promises_, the negative voice gloats, victorious. _Did you really expect anything else? Why would someone who tried to level Manhattan bother to save his little friend-with-benefits? Oh wait, you're not even a _friend_, are you? He tells you nothing at all – not what he did, or why, or what he does with his time when he's not fucking your naïve little brains out-_

SHUT UP! Jane screams at herself. But there's nothing else she can think of to counter that.

_That's probably why he never told you squat about what he's doing here. That way if you ever got captured, he'd never have to worry about you ratting him out. He's probably halfway around the globe by now, laughing to himself about it all. How well he's ruined your life. Maybe that was even his plan all along?_

Jane puts her hands over her ears, even though that won't stop the voice of her doubts.

_And even if we play Devil's Advocate here, even if he meant what he said about keeping you safe from SHIELD…God of Lies, right? Even if he wanted to be truthful with you, maybe he _can't _be. How's that for a hypothesis, Doctor Foster?_

The headache behind her eyes is increasing and spreading, the tension becoming just this side of unbearable. She wonders how long it will be before the anxiety and fear _break _her; before she tells the guards to go get Fury? Before she just starts making crap up, tells them what she thinks they want to hear (even if it's all lies), just to get _out _of here?

It feels as if the bars are pulling in closer and closer, as if the whole cell is squeezing down on her, as if it's getting harder to breathe. Jane collapses on the bed and buries her face in her hands again-

That's when Jane _feels _something. It's like a whisper, but one she doesn't hear with her ears. _I'm losing it,_ she thinks. _Coming unglued from the stress._

She risks raising her head from her hands and looking over at her guards. Her mouth drops opens in shock, because all of them are dead asleep. The two in chairs are slumped over, snoring quietly. As for the two who had been standing, one has slid down the wall and is in a limp, sprawled pile, and the other is just curled up on the floor like a fetus.

_What the hell-?_ Jane shoots up onto her feet, her heart in her throat.

She senses something – someone – behind her, in the cell with her, and she whirls around just in time to see Loki materialize from nowhere against the back wall of her cell. She blinks furiously, trying to make sure it's not just a trick her overstrained sanity is playing on her. But no, it's him. Armoured in his usual black and green, and displaying his most charming, gentle smile.

A flood of possible reactions crowds her brain – scream at him in rage, collapse into a sobbing heap right where she is, slap him across the face as hard as she can – but in the end she runs to him full-tilt and throws her arms around him, clutching at him as tightly as she can.

His arms enfold her immediately, without any of the hesitation he used to show. "Easy, my Jane," he says softly, soothingly in her ear. A small corner of Jane's mind realizes she's shaking like a leaf, but she doesn't really care. She just presses herself harder against his chest, like she's trying to fuse them together so she won't ever have to feel this helpless again. She breathes in his scent, digging her nails into his armour and holding on for dear life, until it no longer feels like the planet is about to tilt and throw her right off, screaming into the void.

When she can finally breathe easily again – she's aware of Loki's hand on her back, running in slow calming circles – she finally pushes back from him. Her cheeks are wet, and she swipes at them in embarrassment. Though she can feel the anger simmering just below the surface – what _kept_ him, for God's sake?

But when she opens her mouth to speak, Loki holds up a hand to stop her. "Have a care, pet," he says quietly. "My sleep-spell is powerful, but I must stretch it over this entire building and all those inside and around it. Any loud noise, and your…_attendants_, will wake."

Jane bites her lip against an angry retort. Who the fuck _cares_ how loud she is? Isn't he about two nanoseconds away from teleporting them both the fuck out of here?

"Come, little one," he beckons her, urging her to turn until she's facing away from him. In front of her, outside the cell, the guards snore on in their enforced oblivion. _The fuck is he doing-?_

Loki's hands grasp her shoulders, but the green light Jane expects to wash away the view of the basement doesn't come. Instead, his hands slide slowly along her shoulders and up her neck, long fingers threading through her hair and firmly kneading the tension out of her scalp.

After so many hours of being on edge, it's difficult to resist the comfort he's offering, but Jane's confusion isn't being eased at all. "What are you _doing_, Loki?" She tries to keep her voice quiet, as he asked, but "Hush," is the only answer he gives her. His hands are on the back of her neck now, strong fingers working the kinks out of her muscles. By the time his hands start their work on her shoulders, Jane is like putty in his hands, almost swaying on her feet. She's so tired, and this feels so damned _good_.

She doesn't resist as Loki guides her over to the cot. He pushes her lightly until she sits, and she watches him blankly as he pulls her shoe off and starts to massage her foot, still smiling gently up at her.

Jane closes her eyes and lets herself slump forward, almost lulled completely. But there's still that angry, confused voice yelling for attention at the back of her mind.

So she wrenches her eyes open and gives it a real voice. "Come _on_, Loki, what the hell are you doing?" _Why are we still fucking_ here_?_

He lifts an eyebrow at her but doesn't stop. "Is it not obvious? I thought I was seeing to your comfort. I am sure you have had something of a trying day."

Jane shakes her head and chuckles, but it's bitter. "Understatement of the year. Can we please leave _now_? That will help me feel even better."

But Loki says nothing for a long moment, his eyes focused on his hands as he shifts his attentions to her other foot. "In due time, little one," he finally says in a low voice.

"What the heck does _that_ mean?" Jane asks, her voice rising. He's not going to _leave_ her here, is he?

"Hush. Do not trouble yourself," he says, flashing her a quick grin. He lets go of her foot and leans up, cupping her face in warm hands and swallowing her next question with a fierce, thorough kiss that leaves her breathless.

His mouth releases hers, but he doesn't back away, his lips brushing lightly against her lips as he continues speaking in quiet, calm tones. "You are thinking entirely too much, my dear Jane. You need to focus on something more pleasing, and I believe I know just how to aid you in that task. Get up and go stand over there." He indicates the back of the cell, near where he first appeared.

Knowing Loki's penchant for mischief, Jane's pretty sure she can guess what's coming. "Are you crazy?" she growls, folding her arms and staying put on the bed.

He laughs quietly. "Such modesty, my Jane? Come now. Who is there to see us?" He cocks his head at her, eyes glinting with amusement. "You need your rest, but you are entirely too anxious right now. I am certain that a climax or two will help with that."

Jane just shakes her head and glares at him, too annoyed to remember to be quiet. "Are you fucking _crazy_? Even if they are asleep" – she gestures with her head towards the sleeping guards- "there's cameras all over this room! I'm not about to create a prison porno-"

"Hush. Your 'cameras' will see nothing, I assure you. Much like your mortal guards." Smirking, Loki pulls Jane to her feet, tugging her until she follows him. She shakes her head again, but she can already feel her resistance waning. It's been a crazy day, _all_ day, and what's a little more crazy?

He kisses her again, deeply and passionately, and her resistance slips another few pegs. It doesn't take much to make her want to go along, to do anything to forget this terrible day. The rage in Erik's face, the threat in Fury's eye-

"Come," he says again, softly, encouragingly. "Let us see what we can do to improve your focus." His hands swirl around each other, and when he is done, he's holding what looks like a white silk scarf with two broad bands of emerald green bisecting it, and covered in a pattern of small black circles. Oh, and white fringe on the ends. He's going to use that to tie her up? His smirk widens. "Turn around."

Jane hesitates, but obeys. She would've thought sex in a public place would be sufficient to satisfy Loki's kinks, but apparently she's wrong. But she's not going to argue about it, she decides. She just doesn't have the energy.

She starts a little when the scarf is settled over her eyes. It tightens as he secures it, but it's not uncomfortable, and it does blot out the unwelcome sight of her prison and their unconscious audience.

Loki pulls her back against him. "I recollect telling you once that I would take your sight from you, yes?" he purrs huskily in her ear. "This would seem like an opportune time."

"And I suppose you always keep your promises?" Jane whisper-snarks just a little testily.

His answering laugh is deep and just a little sinister. "Whenever possible." His breath is hot on her neck, and Jane's skin prickles.

Jane starts to say something else snarky, but it's halted when long fingers lightly grasp her chin. "Be still," he orders, his fingertips sliding up to the lower edge of the blindfold, tracing across her cheekbone, the bridge of her nose, and along the other cheekbone, before slipping lower and idly tracing the shape of her lips.

Almost against her will, Jane leans against Loki, tilting her head back as his fingers glide down over her chin and the line of her throat, tracing feathery patterns, before his hand spreads warmly over her collarbone, stealing under her clothing.

He pulls her flannel shirt down and off her shoulders and arms, and then there's a pause, Jane standing alone, missing the warmth of him behind her, her knees shaky. Then he's pressed up against her back again, warm hands creeping under the edge of her tee-shirt, spreading flat against her stomach, and Jane shivers for a different reason.

He's so very warm, and she's so tired after being tense for so long. She can feel herself getting wet, giving in to him. He tilts her head back again, presses kisses against the side of her neck and her throat, the hands under her shirt slowly moving higher, and her skin tingles, her whole body wanting to melt into his.

He makes quick work of pulling the shirt over her head, deftly avoiding the blindfold, then takes her hands and gently guides them behind her back. Something which feels like another silk scarf is wrapped around her wrists.

His warmth surrounds her once more, his hand tilting her head up, fingertips teasing along her throat again, the fringes of the first scarf tickling her back. "Relax and give yourself to me," he whispers.

She's been on edge for too long and she needs the comfort, the distraction. With her sight gone, it's easy to pretend they're somewhere else, anywhere but here. It's easier to let everything just _go_, to do exactly as he says.

Besides, how can she stop him? Even if she wanted to (and she doesn't), she's still locked in this cage with him, and now she's blind and bound.

There's nothing else to do but obey.

His breath is soft against her ear as his touch moves down her pinned arms, then back up again, over her shoulders. He traces the edges of her bra-straps, and Jane feels another brief moment of loss, of cold, when he backs a little away from her to study the clasp at the back. An instant later and it's loose, his hands slithering under the cups to curl around her breasts, and Jane gasps when he rolls her nipples between his fingers.

"Hush," he says again, and she can feel the curve of his grin against her neck as he continues to fondle her, squeezing and stroking. Jane bites her lip, but it's hard to stay quiet under such a skillful assault.

Her bra, hanging loose now around her belly, suddenly vanishes. Jane doesn't know if Loki used magic or something, but her curiosity is derailed when he gives her nipples a final gentle squeeze, and then slides his hands in a feathery caress down to the waistband of her jeans.

The tips of his fingers dip just below the waistband, exploring, and then he's popping the button and working the zipper down, and there's another of those short moments of _loss_, Loki backing away from Jane enough to work her jeans down and off.

Christ, she's sure her panties are soaked, which he'll probably notice right now as he pulls them off. It's what she expects him to do, but instead he's pulling her back against him once more. He chuckles low in her ear, the tips of his fingers dipping below the waistband of her underwear, tracing tiny designs on her skin, moving slowly lower, and Jane moans and pushes her hips forward, every nerve begging for his touch. _Aching _for his touch. But he pulls her back, pins her hips with his free arm so she's trapped against him, his bracer cold against her belly.

"Distracted yet, my dear?" he teases, now stroking the curls at the top edge of her mound. His hand doesn't move any lower, though, pulling a frustrated groan from her before she manages to bite her lip and silence it.

This earns her a low laugh and a gentle nip on her earlobe. She squirms, or tries to, but then her hands are suddenly free. Her head spins as Loki scoops her up and deposits her on the cot on her back, all in one fluid motion. He leaves the blindfold in place.

She feels him tug her panties down and off. "Spread your legs wide for me, my sweet," he purrs roughly, and there's a definite commanding tone in there. Though Jane blushes, suddenly remembering their audience – sleeping or not, the potential for embarrassment is there – she does what he says, even as Loki continues speaking right into her ear, commanding her attention again.

"And now, my dear Jane, you are to do exactly as I say. I want you to keep very still, and very quiet. Not a sound, not a movement. We would not want to break my sleep-spell, would we?"

Jane blushes and bites her lip, and her hands fist the coarse sheets on the bed as she tries to brace herself for what's coming. She doesn't have a hope in hell of obeying his last command, but she's going to try. Distantly, she supposes she could resist, refuse, but the _ache _in her core won't let her.

For several long moments, nothing happens, and Jane waits tensely for him to touch her. She's too painfully aware of how hard her nipples are, how exposed she feels with her legs splayed apart like this. When he does touch her, finally, it takes everything she has not to jerk and make a surprised noise.

He starts by caressing her mouth, her lips. Tracing the shape of them again, then pressing a gentle fingertip between them, obviously wanting her to open her mouth. He strokes the digit across the surface of her tongue and along her teeth, and she has to fight not to stroke him right back with her tongue, to suck on his finger (she can pretty well imagine his smirk).

He eases his finger out of her mouth and trails it wetly down her throat and between her breasts, then without warning devours her lips with another hungry kiss. Jane fights back a moan, and then another one when he ends it, tilts her head back, and presses more demanding kisses all over her throat.

Slow, lazy love-bites along her collarbone almost undo her fragile control, and he's not even touching her most sensitive areas yet. _I'm screwed_.

She manages to keep herself still when his mouth finds her nipple, sucking firmly, but the tiniest of sounds escapes her throat, and he chuckles. He scrapes blunt nails across the tip of her other nipple, and this time she does move, jerking in response.

He lets go of her, and Jane's ears easily pick up the soft creaking of his armour as he takes up a new position at the foot of the bed, between her legs. Strong hands clamp down on her hips, pulling her until her backside is at the edge, and Jane barely manages to bite off a whimper as his tongue glides wetly across the inside of one of her thighs.

She tries to steel herself again, totally expecting him to work his way slowly up one leg, and then the other, like he's done before. Her control comes completely undone, in gasps and bucking motions of her hips, when he chooses to rub the pad of his thumb firmly over her throbbing clit.

Jane struggles to keep still and quiet, but it's completely impossible. He's a master at this kind of torture, holding her open and stroking and massaging every fold of skin, always going back to brush against her clit unexpectedly, and it goes on and on and on. She can feel his breath caressing her wet skin as he laughs softly at her failing efforts.

Tsking, he moves back to her side, sighing with mock sympathy into her ear: "My poor, poor Jane. You seem to be having much trouble staying still and quiet. Do you require my aid with that? Otherwise, I fear I might have to stop-"

"N-no," Jane hisses, keeping her voice as low as his. "Don't stop. Don't you _dare_ stop." She's suffered enough for him today. If he stops now, she thinks she may well try to _kill_ him, god or not!

"As you wish," he whispers. Hands seize her wrists and raise them forcibly over her head, his mouth coming down on hers to muffle her moan as she feels the unmistakable sensation of a snake. It slides from his arm and over hers, gliding dryly over one of her nipples and then down around her thigh. It slithers around her leg in slow circles, making a leisurely path down to her ankle. It next slides away across her foot, back towards the bed. But she's not free, it's still got her in its coils, pulling her ankle back with it, and Jane thinks it's weaving itself in a figure-eight around both ankle and bedpost. Another snake follows the same path down her other side – arm, nipple, thigh, ankle – and Jane is almost glad of Loki's tongue pushing into her mouth, effectively silencing her.

Both snakes are coiled firmly around her ankles, anchoring them to the legs of the bed. Jane feels them turning into ropes, though she can't see the green flash of light that usually accompanies that particular trick of his. She tries to move her legs, squirming against the bonds, but other than side-to-side motions of her knees, she can't do much of anything. Apparently even that's too much for Loki, as two more snakes materialize and slither down to her knees, and somehow they manage to twine themselves in such a way that once they turn into ropes, she's completely pinned. Jane's not sure how – are they wrapped around the bed-frame somehow? Not that it matters.

When another snake abruptly materializes right around her throat, Jane jerks sharply under him as much as she can, but it doesn't squeeze, instead slithering up her arm to her wrist. Before long she is completely fastened to the bed, barely able to move, and it seems like her whole world has shrunk down to her body, the bed underneath her, and Loki pressed against her.

"Much better, is it not?" Loki asks softly, lifting his mouth from hers. "But I must still keep you quiet. Shall we see if this will suffice?" His hand curves firmly over her mouth. His grip isn't painful, but it does remind Jane just how helpless she is.

"Best to test it, though," he comments laughingly, and Jane pulls on her bonds, panting against his palm as he proceeds to tease her nearest nipple with teeth and tongue and lips. His other hand toys with her other nipple in an approximation of what his mouth is already doing to her.

Twisting against the ropes, Jane thinks she might just die of frustration if he doesn't stop teasing and _get down to goddamn business_, and as if reading her mind, his hand leaves her breast and slips in between her legs, and he easily penetrates her.

He has no control over the muscles deep inside her, however, and Jane clenches herself around him, moaning against his hand, silently cursing him as he moves into and out of her at a languid pace.

He stops and pulls both hands away from her. "Forgive me, my dearest," he explains, "but I think I must find another way to silence your pleasure-sounds…that is, if you want me to put my silver tongue to best possible use." Jane opens her mouth to answer, but there's the silk scarf again, being wound firmly between her teeth once, twice, and after he wraps it around her head a few more times – it seems much longer than it should be - burying her lips in cool silk, he tightens it firmly and secures it with a knot just behind her ear.

"I apologize for any discomfort," he says, lips brushing against that ear. "I shall do my utmost to…distract you."

Jane feels him kiss and lightly nip his way down her throat, groans softly as he pauses to sample each nipple in turn, and then Jane feels his hair tickling across her lower belly as he bends to lap at her clit. One arm snakes across her hips, holding her perfectly immobile, and his other arm reaches around her leg to bury his fingers deep inside her once more.

In the darkness behind the blindfold, every other sense seems magnified a thousandfold. The stifled sounds of her muffled grunts, the sharp sensations caused by his fingers moving insistently inside her, the taste of the silk between her teeth, the scent of leather and sex that seems to fill the small cell.

He works her to the edge mercilessly. Quick circles of his tongue on her aching nub, a third finger inside her to stretch her, an occasional rough caress of his callused thumb across her folds and clit while he presses his lips against the soaked hair of her mound…at least he can't make her beg this time.

She grinds her teeth into the silk gag and finally comes hard, coloured lights dancing across the backs of her blinded eyes. Loki doesn't stop, though, continuing to work her nerve endings, driving her orgasm even higher, until she squeals as best she can and goes utterly limp and pliable.

She feels him ease his hand out of her, then he's releasing her limbs from bondage one at a time. He frees her mouth next, kissing her slack lips passionately. But still he leaves the blindfold on, and dizzily Jane wonders if he's through with her yet. _I can't…I don't…Christ…_

Jane finds out soon enough when he lifts her in his arms. Still blinded as she is, it's hard to figure out exactly what he's doing until it's done, at which point Jane finds herself seated in his lap, facing him. She can't _see_ him, of course, but the familiar textures of the armour under her hands tell her as much.

"You are tired, I know. And I will allow you to rest soon," he promises her. "But the desire to be inside you is consuming me, I must admit. I hope you do not object. I intend to do the bulk of the work," he says, his knuckles brushing between her legs as he reaches between them to undo the fastening of his pants.

"Sssure," Jane says, so tired her words are slurred. If she doesn't sleep like the dead after this, she'll be very surprised.

There's a few more vague sounds and small motions, and then he's wrapping her hand around his shaft. Jane can feel the latex under her fingers – he's thought of everything, which is good, because she doesn't have the capacity right now. "Guide me inside you, my love," he says.

_Has he ever called me that before?_ Jane wonders, even as she does what he says.

True to his word, he does most of the 'work', his hands slipping under her backside to raise and lower her along his length. He kisses her hard, muffling their collective noises, though he pauses after a few thrusts to finally remove the blindfold.

Jane blinks several times, her eyes slow to focus, but before she can start to remember just _where_ she is, Loki's hand is on her cheek, guiding her eyes back to his face. "Look only at me," he orders in a low growl.

Their movements begin again, faster, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh seeming way too loud to Jane. If Loki is concerned about the noise, he doesn't show it to her, tangling a hand in her hair to draw her face to his, to crush his lips down on hers all over again. His other hand works its way in between them to rub careful knuckles across her clit, and within a few more thrusts Jane is shuddering and coming unglued again, her sounds muffled by Loki's tongue.

He presses his mouth hard into her neck when he comes – right against the old bite-mark, in fact, though his teeth do not break her skin this time – freezing as he pulses himself dry inside her.

They sit like that for a long moment, clutching each other, before he withdraws from her, rolls her carefully off him and gets up. Jane slumps down onto the cot, barely able to move, soaked in sweat, her muscles refusing to obey anything she tells them to do. Even though, for a horrifyingly long moment, she's sure Loki is about to teleport away.

And leave her there.

But when she musters the energy to raise her head from the sheet, he's still there, tossing the condom with a mischievous smirk onto the floor (though it disappears before it lands) and lacing himself back up.

The silk scarf is mixed in with the rumpled sheets, and Loki steps back over to the bed, pulls the scarf carefully out from underneath her, and uses it to gently blot the sweat from her body. Another swirling motion of his hands and the scarf vanishes, her bra materializing in its place. He helps her sit up and dresses her again, like a child, though Jane's arms and legs (and eyelids) feel so heavy that she can't bring herself to resent it too much.

"Are we going now? You know, now that you've gotten your semi-exhibitionistic kink on?" she asks sleepily, her tongue trying to fight her on the multi-syllabic words. But he only hushes her again.

Her last conscious experience is of lying on the prison bed again, though she's not actually lying _on _it. She's lying on Loki, her head cradled against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. She doesn't understand why they're even still here, but she doesn't have the energy to argue, especially when he won't give her an answer.

Her last conscious _thought,_ however, is that she's done waiting for Loki to tell her why he attacked Manhattan and Puente Antiguo. She can't ignore the elephant in the room any longer. Even if it scares him away, or even if it makes him murderously angry, she has to take the chance. She doesn't really believe now (if she ever really did) that he will kill her, no matter how angry he gets. And even if she learns something about him that she wishes she hadn't, they can work it through together. He'll tell her, if she has to tie him down and tease him til _he_ begs to spill his guts. Or so she tells herself.

Just….later.

Jane wakes slowly, languidly, stretching like a contented cat. Her body aches, but in a way that she's become only too familiar with, and thoroughly enjoys.

Until her hand brushes against the cold hard bars of her cell, and she remembers where she is. Remembers _everything_.

She's alone. Loki _left_ her here.

_No._

_No, _please_, God._

Her nightmare isn't over.

There's a noise then, the unmistakable sound of multiple guns being cocked, and Jane's heart shudders to a stop. _What the-_

Clutching the sheet to her chest, she sits up _very_ slowly in the bed, turning to face the front of the cell. Immediately, she wishes she hadn't.

Loki is still here, still inside the cell with her, smirking, with his arms folded across his chest. That part, Jane is fine with. _Relieved_ with, in fact.

Fury is standing outside the cell, with what must be at least twenty heavily-armed guards, all of them pointing their guns at Loki. And her. That part? Jane is _not_ fine with. Not even close.

She freezes, not wanting to provoke anyone into firing on them. Despite her panic, she notices that Agent Romanov is standing to the right of Fury, her gun also pointed at Loki. And to Fury's left, is the man with the bow who drove them out here. He's the only one not holding a gun, but Jane doesn't feel any less scared of the arrow pointed in their direction.

_Why are we even still here?_ Jane wants to scream at Loki, but her throat is locked and nothing comes out.

There's a long, frozen silence.

"Director Fury," Loki says smoothly, calmly. As if they are standing in Jane's trailer and merely discussing the weather. "I doubt you are surprised to see me."

And then he _smiles_.


	9. The God Who Cried Wolf Ch 2

**The God Who Cried Wolf (2/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: April 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Part Four of the Light in the Dark series. Loki explains (FINALLY!) everything that led to his attack on Earth. **

**Beta: As usual, all thanks and green roses to canyr12.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them. **

**Author's Note: Movie!verse, as per my usual.**

Loki's wicked smile makes Jane _very_ nervous. She scrambles out of the bed, wincing inwardly. She knows moving is _very_ stupid – someone could panic and fire on her at any minute – but she can't just sit by and watch Loki attack more humans, even if it _is_ to defend her.

"Wait!" she exclaims, holding up a hand towards the contingent outside, feeble shield that it is. She moves as quickly as she dares to Loki's side, catching at his nearest wrist. "Please, Loki, don't hurt anyone-" but even as she speaks, she remembers his promise to Thor. He'd said that he wouldn't attack any humans, assuming he'd been telling the truth.

_Yeah, but you weren't supposed to hear that, remember? You were eavesdropping at the time. _So it's not like he'd expect her to know that.

His mouth quirks, his wrist slipping from her grip, but only so his fingers can twine with hers, though his eyes never leave the mass of armed people in front of them. "Fear not, Jane Foster. I did not come here to do battle."

"Really?" asks Fury sarcastically. "Sure looks to me like you were lying in wait for us."

"Appearances can deceive, as I am one to know well," Loki counters, smirking. "But no. In fact, I came to make a deal."

Jane risks a glance over at Fury, who looks entirely unconvinced. "You're assuming I'm in the mood to deal."

"Perhaps you should hear what I have to offer, first," Loki remarks mildly. "It is this: Let Jane Foster go, and I will explain everything that led to my attack on your city."

Fury snorts, but there's no amusement in it. "Maybe I don't actually care about your past reasons. Maybe I'd much rather find out what you're doing here _now_. Either way, Doctor Foster isn't going anywhere."

Loki chuckles. "I'm afraid you only have two courses of action, Director. Let Jane go-"

"Or you'll kill us all?" Fury interjects angrily. "Yeah, you're tough, and you'll probably win, but we'll fight back, and some of our bullets might take out your girlfriend there. Your armour may be bullet-proof, but her skin isn't."

Jane finds her anxious shakes turning into _angry_ shakes. "Are you threatening me?" she asks incredulously. On the one hand, she can totally understand why Fury is threatening her, or feels he needs to. But on the other….she hasn't _done_ anything!

Loki's fingers tighten reassuringly around Jane's. "I was about to say," he continues in the same calm tones, "If you let Jane go, I will stay and answer any questions you have. If you refuse, however, I will simply magick both her and I away from here, and you will have nothing. And I should point out that it is entirely useless to threaten Jane. Or myself." He makes a small gesture with his free hand, and the air in the room twists and ripples in tiny waves around them all.

Once the effect fades, Jane blinks, not believing her eyes. The men outside the cell mutter and stare at their hands which, instead of guns, now hold….bouquets of pale green roses. She looks up at Loki, not surprised to see him smirking, mischief dancing gleefully in his dark eyes.

Even Agent Romanov and the man with the bow are now holding flowers, but everyone is wearing the same expression of surprise and puzzlement.

"See, my Jane?" Loki asks, his voice pitched lower than the mutterings of the shocked soldiers, "I intend harm to no one."

Jane squeezes her fingers around his and steps a bit closer to him. "Thank you," she says, sincerely. If anyone had died, just because of their 'arrangement'-

"What next?" Fury growls condescendingly, "You turn us all into frogs?"

Loki shakes his head. "I did not come here to fight. I came to talk, assuming you are willing to listen. It is wrong to imprison Jane, as she is blameless. Allow her to go free, and this will put me in a cooperative mood, I assure you."

Fury crosses his arms. "Like I'm supposed to believe the God of Lies?"

"It is entirely up to you whether you believe me or not," Loki agrees. "But know this – you have no means by which to hold either of us." He squeezes Jane's fingers one last time, then releases her hand. Half a second later, he vanishes from her side and reappears outside her cell, standing right in front of Fury. Before Fury can even react, Loki is back at Jane's side, leaving the group in front of them blinking and muttering in astonishment. "In fact, you never _did_ have the means to hold me," Loki adds, though Jane isn't sure what he's referring to.

Fury looks very disgruntled. "So, it _was_ all a con," he mutters.

"I will answer your questions about that, too. Providing you first release Jane."

Fury's brow furrows darkly, but finally he sighs. "Open the cell door," he orders one of Jane's guards.

"Sir," protests the agent who drove Jane out here, "You can't really-"

"Don't see that we have a choice, Agent Barton. Do you?" Fury challenges him.

The cell door is unlocked, and Loki gently ushers Jane out ahead of him. Jane almost smiles at the reactions of the soldiers around them. They're still looking at the roses, poking at them, and muttering in confusion. But there's an undercurrent of fear as well, and that kills her smile before it can surface.

But Fury is not wasting any time. "Agents Barton and Romanov. Take Doctor Foster anywhere she wants to go. Is that understood?" From the tone of his voice, it's obvious that Fury isn't going to take no for an answer.

"Yes sir," Romanov replies, and the other Agent -Barton, Fury said – nods briefly. Romanov looks at Jane, watching her with a cool, calculating gaze.

Loki takes Jane's hand again, distracting her from the drama in front of her. "Until later, my Lady," he bends down and kisses her fingers (and he does the tongue thing again to the back of one knuckle, the same as the very first time he appeared to her in person). He gives her a quick grin and a wink, and then he swings around, following after Fury with a lazy animal grace that Jane envies.

Jane watches them go, still trying to process everything that just happened. Once they are gone, she turns back to find the room empty of everyone except the two agents apparently assigned to her.

Romanov is still giving Jane that look. "I'm beginning to think," she murmurs, though it's not clear if she's actually talking to Jane or thinking out loud, "that maybe we have things backwards here."

"Come again?" Barton asks. He's still holding the bouquet of roses, and now he tosses them onto the floor with a grimace.

"He obviously cares about your welfare, Doctor Foster," Agent Romanov muses, stepping closer to Jane. "I'm starting to think that maybe _you've_ got the power over him, and not the other way 'round."

Jane's had that very same thought before, hasn't she? But she shakes her head. She's not discussing that with these….people.

"I don't do games and power struggles, Agent Romanov."

"And yet, you're involved with someone who lives and breathes _games_. Ironic, don't you find?" Romanov presses.

But Jane just shakes her head again. That's when she realizes that Fury is going to hear Loki's story before she does.

_What if he tells Fury his story, but then he decides to continue keeping you in the dark?_

Jane clenches her fists. _No fucking way_. "I don't know, and I don't _care_." Deliberately changing the subject, she continues: "Fury told you to take me anywhere I want to go, right?"

The agent's brow furrows and she steps back, but she's clearly still trying to work this all out in her head. "Of course. Name the place, Doctor."

Jane takes a deep breath. "Do you know where Fury will be …talking to Loki?" Calling it an interrogation doesn't seem quite right.

"Probably in the room where he was 'talking' to you. Or in that general neighborhood. Why?" Barton cuts in, looking miffed still.

"I want to watch it."

"Yeah, I don't think so, Doc," Barton scoffs, although Romanov is looking back and forth between them, a faint smirk on her face. "I'm pretty sure Fury meant to take you somewhere off the base-"

"His exact words were 'take me anywhere I want to go'. I _want_ to go see what Loki has to say."

"_Loki_ wants you set free. Now. And I'm pretty sure that means somewhere far away from here," Barton insists. Romanov continues to watch the two of them.

"I _am_ free," Jane grits out, losing the last of her brittle patience. "And now I'm walking to where he is. Could you point me in the general direction, at least, Agent Romanov?" Jane turns to her, as she seems like the more sympathetic of the two.

Barton glowers. "I'm pretty sure both Loki and Fury won't like that," he warns.

"Neither of them said I can't listen in. I have as much right to hear what Loki has to say, as Fury does. More, maybe. And I'm not scared of Loki," she adds as a parting shot.

"Obviously not." Romanov agrees, and she's definitely smirking now, oh so slightly.

"Are you going to help me, or not?" Jane asks her again.

"Yes, I think I will."

"Tasha!" Barton hisses.

"What's the harm, Clint? She's right, nobody said she couldn't listen in." The agent's eyes settle on Jane's face, calculating. "I take it he hasn't explained all this to you yet, either?"

_This again_. "No, and I never asked, and I wish people would just _fucking stop bugging me about that_!" Jane snarls, anger edging each word.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I didn't mean to offend you," Romanov apologizes, holding up a placating hand. "Please, follow me."

Jane is aware of Barton's angry gaze burning between her shoulder blades as Romanov leads the way, but Jane isn't going to back down.

Romanov ushers Jane into a small room, Barton following after them. On the other side of a long window on one wall, Jane can see Fury and Loki sitting across a table from each other, Fury's back to Jane. It does look like the same room they held her in, but then again, it's not like there'd been anything distinctive about that room. Or that she'd been in any state to notice, either.

Loki is facing the window, facing her, and a moment after she arrives, his head snaps up. His eyes seem to burn into hers through the glass, his narrowing. _He knows I'm here._

He turns his gaze back to Fury. "I thought our agreement was for Jane to be released."

Jane can't see Fury's face, but she can imagine his confused look. "I released her. What game are you playing _now_?"

"No games. She is watching us from behind that glass." Loki points right at her.

"Excuse me," Fury rumbles.

A second later and he's striding into their viewing room, glaring daggers at Jane and the two agents. Well, mainly at Jane.

"Didn't I say you could _go_, Doctor?" he scowls, crossing his arms.

"You did," Jane counters, crossing her own arms and mirroring his scowl right back at him. "But I'm staying. I want to hear what Loki has to say." Just in case, she turns and glares pointedly through the window, but Loki's fiddling with his bracer and seems to be ignoring all of them. She's pretty sure that's a front, though. "So no, I'm not leaving."

"Doctor-" Fury starts.

"What part of 'No' don't you understand, Director? The 'n' or the 'o'?" Jane hisses. "I'm staying. Besides, if you want me to work on this Stark-Foster Project, maybe you'd better start giving me a little bit of what _I_ want."

Fury's gaze darkens even further, but Jane meets him glare for glare, refusing to be cowed. She's stood up to a fucking Norse God, she's damn well not going to back down before some one-eyed government bully. Especially not when said Norse God is on her side.

In the end, Fury throws up his hands in exasperation and leaves, and Jane turns to find Agent Barton looking stunned, while Romanov is again smirking ever so slightly. Not that it matters.

"Well?" Loki asks once Fury returns and takes his seat. Loki meets Jane's gaze through the glass once more, eyebrows raised.

Fury shrugs and sits. "As I explained, I did let her go. It's not my problem if _she_ insists on staying."

"Ah," Loki nods knowingly. "Yes, I am well acquainted with Jane Foster's….tenacity." He smirks at her through the glass. As if he can see her (and maybe he can), Jane crosses her arms and glares defiantly back at him.

Just then, the door to the viewing room opens again, but now Erik comes in, his expression still angry. Jane bites her lip, not sure what to say to him, but Loki is starting to speak, and Jane doesn't want to miss a single syllable. Almost relieved that she has a plausible reason to evade Erik, she turns away and focuses all her attention on the conversation in front of her.

"You call me God of Lies, and that is true," he starts. "But sometimes, one must lie for the greater good. You, Director Fury have also lied. You have made decisions that have cost the lives of many."

"Oh, so now we're supposed to be the same, you and I?" Fury retorts.

"Not precisely. But if I have blood on my hands, then so do you."

"Even assuming I agree with you, our intentions are _very_ different. I was trying to save lives."

"It likely does not seem evident right now, but so was I," Loki claims.

"It does not 'seem evident' at all," Fury snarks.

"Then I will tell you the same thing that I told the All-Father and Thor. They did not believe me, but perhaps you will prove wiser than them. I shall begin at the start. I had fallen from the Asbru Bridge in Asgard…"

_The vast throne room in Asgard is totally empty of all life, something Loki could not remember ever happening before, not in his lifetime._

_Even the Royal Guard had been dismissed. Even Mother (even though she was not, never his), over her shouted protests. _

_There was only Loki, and his two judges. Odin and Thor. _

"_Speak," Odin's command rings through the room, as he ignores Thor's pleading look. "Defend yourself, Loki Odinson. Tell us why you allied yourself with the Chitauri, and killed so many mortals."_

"_I am Loki Odinson no more," Loki spits out harshly. "But I will tell you the tale, if only to see if you have the intellect to credit it. And after that, I am done with all of you. 'Father' and 'Brother', both." he sneers coldly. _

_Next to Odin, Thor starts to protest, but Odin snarls and Thor falls silent. "Then speak, you foolish child."_

_Loki starts to insult back, but then stops himself. What purpose would it serve? The sooner he complies, the sooner he is free of both of them, and alone in a cell, he will be free to plot an escape. They cannot hold him, of this he is sure._

_So, taking a deep breath, he begins the tale._

_Loki had never hated his immortal status before. To live forever, to watch the wheel of time turn over and over, to watch the branches of Yggdrasil as they ever so slowly grew through the millennia, he had always taken it for granted._

_Even as he'd fallen after the broken pieces of the Bifröst, tumbling through the cold, vast layers of space and time, the prospect of an eternity that he could never escape had not given him pause. He was in _pain_, lost, alone, but those things could be overcome. He would come to himself at some point, and he would find a way to get back at all those whom had hurt him._

_Thor. Sif. Fandral. Volstagg. Hogun. And Odin. Chiefly, Odin._

_He fell, for what felt like several hundred mortal lifetimes. And he only stopped falling, because _they_ found him. _

_He would only find out later what they were. That they called themselves Chitauri, that they made it their business to destroy realms, at the whim of their Master. _

_As a curiosity, they delivered him to their Master._

_Thanos._

_His first meeting with Thanos was like nothing Loki had ever experienced before. Odin was powerful, Heimdall was powerful, but their strength seemed as nothing before the might of Thanos. In seconds, Loki could feel his defenses brushed aside, and his mind being peeled apart like ripe fruit. All his fears, pains, ambitions, and plans pulled forth to be studied and mocked, before he had a chance to weave a stronger spell around himself and stop the invasion. By the time he managed to do so, gasping and gritting his teeth against the effort, it was too late. All had been revealed._

"_So, you think yourself deserving of being a king, Loki Odinson?" _

_Raw within and without, Loki had winced at the name. Not a son of Odin, not anymore. He did not say it aloud, but Thanos heard it regardless. "Very well. Should you wish to rule, _Asgardian_? Swear allegiance to me, obey me, and your reward will be just that. I will give you a Realm, one that will call you king."_

_At first, Loki had refused. He wanted only one thing, one thing in all of Yggdrasil, and he was certain that even a creature as powerful as Thanos was unable to grant him thus – to be truly of Asgard, rather than a Jotun. To turn the great lie of his existence into truth. To be a king would have been a balm, but to rule a people who hated and feared him, how would that be any different from what had come before?_

"_Think carefully, Asgardian. I have many means at my disposal to….persuade you to agree to my offer. Let me tell you what I would ask of you. Then you may decide."_

_Thanos' proposal had been simple enough: he desired to have the Tesseract, to increase his power, and increase the reach of his cosmic empire. It was on a planet, one populated by mortals._

"_Surely mortals are no match for you," Loki had pointed out. "Why should you require _my_ help? Go and claim it yourself."_

_But Thanos had only grinned, at the time. It was only later, after the torture and Loki's apparent capitulation, that Loki had been entrusted with the truth: That the Realm Eternal was the linchpin of Yggdrasil, and Thanos wished to see it fall. And what more amusing, entertaining way to see to that, than to get the fallen son of its ruler to see to its destruction?_

_Once Asgard fell, the whole of the Worlds tree would be Thanos' for the taking._

_But all that came later. _

_At the time, Loki had only known that Thanos desired the Tesseract, and that it was on Midgard. Midgard, which Thor considered under his protection._

_Which had made it tempting, so very tempting to go along with Thanos' plan. Not only sweet revenge on Thor, and on the mortals who had changed him, but also on Odin for his betrayal and abandonment, should Asgard fall – and it probably _would_ fall; without a Bifröst, the Asgardians no longer had any means of escape._

_And yet, Loki had continued to refuse at first. To crush Midgard with a superior force would not gain the admiration of those he wished still, deep in his heart, to gain approval from. Despite everything that had occurred to him there, it still made Loki shudder to think of Asgard laid waste._

_Since Loki had continued to refuse, next had come Thanos' 'persuasion'._

"_The humans whom you are apparently so eager to protect, they hold you in no esteem, Asgardian. You know the tales which they tell of you, I am sure." Thanos' grin had widened unpleasantly. "Shall we take inspiration from their ideas?"_

_And so, Loki had discovered to his agony, to be immortal had some decided drawbacks. To continue to live, even as you are disemboweled and your entrails slowly pulled from your body, screaming until your voice breaks. To be able to stay conscious as you are bound with those entrails, and then to watch through pain-blurred eyes as beings reminiscent of Midgardian snakes take their places over your violated flesh._

_To Loki's memory, the Midgardian tales spoke of only _one_ snake, which dripped venom on him until the supposed end of the world. Not of three snakes, which dripped acid rather than venom. One onto his face, another onto his already despoiled belly, and a third….lower. In an area no being, God or otherwise, should wish to feel acid's bite._

_Seconds became as sevendays, sevendays as millennia. Pain upon pain upon pain, and being immortal, Death could not release Loki from his torment. He could give in, or he could suffer. Without end. _

_Perhaps almighty, golden Thor would have lasted longer. Loki, alone and already afflicted with a deep, soul-rending pain before the torture had even _begun_, had not sufficient strength._

_So when Thanos had come to ask him for the fourth time if 'The Asgardian' would join the cause, Loki had agreed, as best he could with his shredded, stripped voice._

_But first had come the test. Thanos had given Loki a scepter, an item of immense power, and ordered him to reach across the cold expanse of space with his mind. To find a mortal who would gather information on the Tesseract for them. The scepter's power was vast, but in thrall to Thanos', and so Loki had no choice but to do as he had been bid. _

_Loki had found the Tesseract immediately – its power was so great, it was like a star shining from the surface of Midgard – but he _had_ been surprised to discover which mortals had placed themselves around it. That Thor's friend Erik Selvig had been introduced to the Tesseract at the precise moment Loki had discovered it….an interesting crossing of paths._

_Outwardly, Loki had called on the magic of the scepter, seeing through Erik's eyes, urging him to take the offer to work on the Tesseract._

_Inwardly, Loki began to plan. Why would the Worlds tree conspire to put _this_ particular mortal in arm's length of the Tesseract? It did suggest that perhaps there was some purpose as to why Loki was here. Perhaps it was to undermine Thanos' plans._

_Thanos thought him broken, thought him won to the cause, and Loki had best be certain he gave Thanos no reason to think otherwise. _

_At first, he had only watched the mortals. He learned of their plans, learned of the Tesseract's potential. And all the while, whenever possible, he increased his mental defenses, so that any plans or schemes he wrought would not be discovered. He would find a way to defeat Thanos._

_After several mortal months, despite the toll working with Thanos' magic, and spying on the mortals, was taking on him – perhaps even _because _of it- Loki's loyalty and his ability were judged proven. Thanos had accepted him into the ranks. _

_Even as Loki continued to lay his own plans._

_Thanos named Loki as 'ally', and ordered the Chitauri and their leader, a nameless creature known only as 'The Other', to follow him. Thanos enjoyed observing the in-fighting between his minions almost as much as he enjoyed causing pain in the Realms he overran, and Loki was all too aware of how Thanos relished the tension between Loki and The Other._

_When it came time to attack Midgard, Loki knew what he had to do. He had to act the perfect ally, the perfect servant. So he accepted the scepter a second time, and used it to open the door, emerging on Midgard._

_The Midgardians truly did not have the weapons to stop a God. Still, showing mercy would not be tolerated by Thanos, so Loki had to show none._

_The aftereffects of the torture, the spying through Selvig, and finally the effects of crossing through between worlds had drained his strength, but Loki was still far stronger than the mortal soldiers. _

_He used the scepter to claim a few minds that would be useful to him, and to cement his control over Selvig. This would be the mortal who would allow him to open the portal…and perhaps to stop Thanos' army at a later time._

_Loki had expected – indeed, hoped! – that Thor would hear of what was transpiring, even as he hoped somehow, no doubt foolishly, that their paths would not cross. But he had not predicted the interference of other mortals, the self-styled 'Avengers'. _

_They were still no real match for him, though he toyed with them, as that was what Thanos would want, and indeed _expect_. _

_Even as Thanos remained ignorant of how Loki toyed with _him_._

_In the end, all had gone as Loki had hoped. Mortals had died, but not many, relatively. Thor, and thus Asgard, was forewarned as to Thanos' presence. The Tesseract would go to Asgard, where it would be better protected. And although he could have escaped easily, Loki decided to allow himself to be taken to Asgard too. Once he had explained his plan to Odin, perhaps they would finally _see _his worthiness. Perhaps he was not the warrior Odin had wanted, but as a strategist, was he not unparalleled in all of Yggdrasil? He had murdered the treacherous Laufey, and very nearly destroyed a race of monsters already, had he not?_

Loki falls silent, his gaze on Fury's face, and Jane twists her hands together. It's so much to take in, and even then, so many things remain unanswered-

"Maybe I'm a little slow," Fury allows, and though Jane can't see his face, she can all too easily imagine his disbelieving expression. "But I'm not sure I see the 'brilliant plan' in all of this."

Loki blinks at him. "Thanos wants to destroy Asgard, and if he does, the rest of the Worlds tree will wither and die, including your precious Midgard. But now Asgard is forewarned, and can marshal its defenses."

"So you thought it was OK to offer our planet up on the chopping block, while you bought time for your home world."

A look Jane can't read ghosts over Loki's face, and then he shakes his head, starting to look irritated. "It was not _I_ who put the Tesseract here. If it had been in Alfheim, Thanos would have had me attack _them_. Though I admit, having it here on Midgard increased the chance that Thor would catch wind of it the quicker."

"I see," said Fury, continuing to sound unconvinced. "So the fact that nearly a thousand of us died, so you could pull your little con on Thanos and Asgard would be warned, that was acceptable collateral damage to you? You don't think very much of human lives, apparently. Does your girlfriend know about this anti-human attitude of yours?" Fury asks, motioning behind him towards the window and Jane.

Loki pauses, taking a deep breath, and Jane can almost _feel_ him restraining his own anger. _He is – or was – a prince. He's probably not used to having his judgment questioned._

"I will grant you that I did not always hold humans in the highest esteem…until quite recently." His gaze touches Jane through the glass again. "But I find it strange that you should mock me about my reckoning of human lives, when _you_ so easily relieve each other of those same lives. Mortals kill each other daily, in war, for sport." Loki leans forward, eyes narrowing, a sharp edge to his voice now. "What of the millions of humans dead thanks to genocide, such as your Holocaust? My thousand victims are petty, compared to that. Why am I to be held to a higher standard? Just because it seems easier for me to kill than you?" Loki leans back in his chair again. "If I recall correctly, do not your priests tell you, 'Let he who is blameless cast the first rock'? How much blood is on _your_ hands, Director Nick Fury?"

"I've killed," Fury admits, "but I didn't enjoy doing so. That's the difference between you and me. I feel _remorse_."

"Would my remorse gain back the lives that I took? No. It is a waste of time and energy. And contrary to what you believe, I did not _enjoy_ doing so."

"Could've fooled us," Fury remarks.

"I was trying to fool _Thanos_," Loki retorts. "He was observing me the entire time."

"And how would he do that?" Fury asks, sounding skeptical.

Loki rolls his eyes. "With the scepter, of course. Did you not notice how it affected your fellows? How your so-called Avengers nearly came to blows? That was his doing, enacted for his amusement as he watched. As he also watched me, for his amusement, and to ensure that I was doing as he bade me." Loki pauses, then says, more quietly than before. "It is no great contest to defeat those weaker than yourself. Believe me, I did not _enjoy _doing so. But had I not taunted your Avengers, had I not killed and injured your people, had I not given the Chitauri entry into this Realm….the cost of not doing so would have been much worse. I needed to gain time, for Asgard to be warned and gird itself." He pauses. "And I was successful."

"Yeah, you mentioned that." Fury yawns, sounding bored.

"Were you not _listening_? If Asgard falls, eventually Midgard falls, as would the entirety of the Worlds tree. The fate of your entire planet, and Asgard, and indeed _all Nine Realms_, weighted against the lives of one thousand mortals. Is that not then a reasonable cost?"

"Well, I really don't understand how this Thanos creature runs his little war games. Why would he even bother taking a dig at Odin? Seems like a waste of time to me, to send an _exiled_ Norse God to lead his army to retrieve the all-important Cosmic Cube." Fury points out.

Fury's barb goes deep, Jane can see it in the tensing of Loki's shoulders, but he doesn't rise to the bait.

Loki shakes his head. "_Games_, indeed. You speak more truly than you know, mortal. Thanos enjoys relishing his conquests, dragging them out as long as he can, to glean as much fear and pain and bloodshed from each battle. It _entertains_ him. It is not uncommon for him to send one wave of Chitauri, let them do their damage, and then call a retreat, only to attack again months later, once the Realm is starting to think they may be safe again. He may attack two, three, four times, before the final slaughter and conquest. When he has _broken_ his victims." Loki pauses again, stares down at his hands. "In this case, he preferred to sit back and move his chess pieces – myself included – around on the board, to test the mettle of Midgard and of Thor, and to bide his time."

"So you're telling me this isn't over," Fury says, and it's not a question.

Loki shakes his head once more. "In truth, I cannot say. Perhaps he will attack Midgard again, yes. Though I think it is equally likely that he will attack Asgard next, since gaining the Tesseract appears an important task for him." Loki pauses again, brow darkening. "Though again, given how you Midgardians decimated his Chitauri hoard, perhaps he would prefer to annihilate you first after all."

"Is that a threat, Loki?" Fury asks, his voice dangerously quiet.

"No. I am merely giving an educated opinion on Thanos' future plans." Loki's eyes narrow in a calculating way. "Perhaps, if you are sufficiently cooperative with me in regards to Jane Foster, I could be persuaded to help you defend yourselves against Thanos, should he choose to attack here first."

"Our nukes seemed to work just fine against his army. Who says we need you?"

Loki laughs coldly. "That was against the Chitauri. Against Thanos? Be not so certain."

"Funny how you're only offering to help us _now_."

Loki shrugs. "Would you have believed me, had I offered my help earlier?"

"Who says I believe you now?"

"I did not say such. You merely asked a question. I am answering it. And it is entirely up to you what you believe."

"Given you're supposed to be the God of Lies, I think you can assume I don't believe you."

"Some call me God of Lies, yes. But that does not mean that I lie all the time," Loki points out. He glances up at Jane through the glass, and that's when she thinks: _Wait a minute, didn't I say that to Fury myself….yesterday?_

_Did he hear me say that? Was he _watching_?_

Loki leans forward over the table again. "Are we not _both_ liars, Director Nick Fury? But again, I can only repeat: Sometimes one must lie for the greater good. Just as you lied to your Avengers about Agent Coulson being dead."

Jane gasps, her previous thought washed away by the shock, and next to her, she's aware of Erik is reacting in a similar way. _What?_

Jane wishes she could see Fury's face. "This isn't about me," Fury contradicts, calmly.

"I am not making judgments. I am merely pointing out that we both lie. Though I can well understand your reticence to admit to your 'Avengers' that he is alive – I am sure you would not want that green beast to come after you in retaliation."

Fury snorts. "He did quite a number on _you_."

"Did he? Again, be not so certain. If that green beast could destroy your flying fortress, Thanos might not become suspicious if the same beast were able to lay a God low. The Chitauri were on the brink of defeat, and Selvig was about to carry out the final part of my plan. It seemed an opportune time to allow myself to be…_defeated_." Next to her, Jane can almost feel Erik's anger. What is Loki talking about?

But Loki is still talking: "It is the better for all of us, if Thanos remains ignorant of my betrayal-"

Jane is so busy concentrating on Loki, that she hasn't noticed Erik leaving, but now he bursts into the interrogation room, glaring at both Loki and Fury.

"What is he talking about, Director? Is Coulson alive?"

"I assure you that he is. I have seen him with my own eyes. In truth, I am glad he survived. He is perceptive, for a mortal; he saw through my act, saw how weak my 'conviction' was, as he put it. Do not be angry, Doctor Erik Selvig. Your Director needed something to rally his Avengers, and the death of the 'Son of Coul' was convenient."

Erik shakes his head slowly. "We'll discuss that later," he growls, that comment clearly directed at Fury. "I want to know about this 'plan' of yours that I was supposed to carry out." Erik rasps at Loki, his gaze angry enough to melt glass.

Loki raises a brow at him. "Is it not obvious? Your – what did you call it? Your 'safety switch'? – which allowed the portal to be closed by the scepter."

Erik crosses his arms defensively, glaring at Loki. "You're claiming responsibility for that? For making sure there was a way to defeat you?"

Loki raises the other eyebrow too, a slight arrogance creeping into his voice. "You were under my complete control, Dr. Selvig. Do you _really_ think that you could have built that in, without my express knowledge and permission? Even if I did not explicitly say as much to you?"

"You're lying," Erik grinds out between clenched teeth. "I built it into the portal because that's what any good engineer would _do_. That's how things are supposed to be designed. And now you want to claim it was all part of your brilliant master plan? That's _convenient_."

Loki smiles, but for once it doesn't seem malicious. "How else could I prevent the Chitauri from doing too much damage, while still appearing to Thanos to be his loyal servant? Does it not seem at all possible that it was _I_ who put the idea into your mind, to create your 'safety switch'?"

Erik shakes his head angrily. "No, I don't buy it. I know what you made me do, and I know that building in an 'off-switch' wasn't part of that plan." He closes his hands into fists and takes a step forward, ignoring the guards starting to walk into the room behind him. "You're a liar, _Loki of Asgard_, and I don't know what you've done to Jane to blind her to what you are doing, but you can't fool me. I know exactly what you are."

Loki laughs outright at that, throwing his head back and chortling, and Jane bites her lip as a few guards reflexively raise their guns. Fury waves them off, even as Loki gets control of his hilarity. "My apologies for my amusement, Dr. Selvig, but you do _not_ know _what_ I am. But in truth, not many do." He shakes his head and smiles ruefully.

"You are angry," he continues, "and that is understandable. And you fear for Jane, also understandable. I am not angry with you for reporting my presence here to SHIELD. I can fully understand your desire to protect Jane, however misplaced it is. In fact, it is admirable. Not many would risk angering a God."

But Erik's face only darkens further. "Are you threatening me-"

Fury slams his hand down on the table, though only Erik (and Jane) jump. "Enough!" he snaps. "Doctor, this is not the time." Fury beckons a guard over. "Escort Dr. Selvig out. _Now_."

Erik grumbles and glares, but allows himself to be herded out. Jane waits, but he doesn't return to the viewing room. Jane feels relieved, and then guilty because of her relief.

But Fury is speaking again, drawing Jane's attention back to the interrogation room. "You'll have to forgive me if this all seems just a little too convenient. You attack us, but only because the Tesseract was already here, and in any case, that's a good thing because Thor will notice. You make sure Selvig puts in an off-switch, so we can defeat the Chitauri no matter what. And you get to beat up on Thor and all of us because it's part of your cover, and so on and so on. Thor, last I heard, thinks you are out of your fucking gourd. _Crazy_. You _sure_ you didn't attack us only to get at him?"

Loki's expression darkens again at the mention of Thor, and when he speaks, there's an ugly edge to his voice that Jane recognizes all too quickly. "Thanos, as I explained, saw into my mind at the start. He knows all, everything about me. Thor and I are – _were_- not on the best of terms, and Thanos knew it. If I had balked at fighting with Thor, if I had shown any sign at all of being merciful towards you Midgardians, Thanos would have become suspicious, and perhaps attacked Midgard the faster, with an even larger army. He enjoys his conquests, and as I said, he prefers to drag them out as long as he can, savouring every moment, but I believe the Tesseract is too important for him to tarry long. Had he suspected me, your Realm would already have fallen to him."

"You said he still might attack us."

"He will eventually attack, that is certain. But not here first, perhaps. And though you obviously do not approve of my scheme, it _did_ work. Thor and Asgard were forewarned. Was it not Thor himself who told you of the Chitauri army before it arrived? He even suspected there was someone at work behind the scenes, someone above myself calling the dance steps. Since you seem deaf, I shall repeat: Had I not appeared to serve Thanos, both Midgard and Asgard may well have been in flames by now."

"You know," Fury drawls, "I can't help but notice the things you left out. Like what happened in Puente Antiguo. When you sent that giant robot to kill Thor, and you nearly leveled Dr. Foster's whole town? Where does _that_ fit in?"

Loki looks down at his hands, his shoulders tensing again. Jane can practically feel him weighing his words, and her own nails dig into her palms. While the Battle of Manhattan had obviously been _bad_, Puente Antiguo had been her home for nearly a year, and Loki's attack there hits her closer to home. A _lot_ closer to home.

But when he looks up, Jane realizes he's not going to give Fury – or her – an answer. It's written all over his face and body, even before he says: "It is nothing of import to you. It was – _is_ – family affairs."

"People died, and homes and businesses were destroyed," Fury rebukes Loki, his voice hard. "Therefore it _is_ my affair."

Loki leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. And says nothing.

"Once again, I feel it's necessary to point out how you don't really seem to care about human lives that much," Fury remarks, and Jane knows that comment is really aimed at her, again. _And he makes a good point,_ the negative little voice pipes up. _Why should Loki value you so much, compared to all the other people he killed without any qualms? Could it really be your Einstein-Rosen Bridge theory, after all? Makes much more sense than him valuing you just for the whole friends-with-kinky-benefits thing-_

"As I said before, I do not see much point in remorse, Director Fury." Loki says, leaning forward and laying both hands on the table. "Instead, perhaps you will permit me to make amends. I can and will help you defend this Realm."

"And if I think you're full of bullshit?" Fury counters.

Loki shrugs. "Surely you must realize by now that you cannot keep me prisoner."

"Maybe not, but I bet I can ruin Jane's life instead. Kind of hard to do research while you're on the run," Fury remarks, and Jane feels her spine stiffen.

Loki laughs darkly. "And yet you prefer to think of yourself as the one with 'good' intentions." But then his expression turns serious. "Jane is innocent. Her only crime is bringing comfort to me, putting her trust in me. Allowing me to warm her bed."

"That doesn't mean you aren't controlling her mind," Fury snaps.

Loki smiles but it's bitter. "Despite what you and Dr. Selvig think, I lack that ability. Well, beyond the capability needed to cast illusions and trick the senses. But controlling minds in the sense that you mean it? That power belongs to Thanos. Without the scepter, I no longer have that kind of influence over the thoughts of others."

"So you claim," Fury says, clearly not won over. "You have an excuse for everything, don't you?" he observes.

"Need I point out that I am hardly the one who convinced her to continue working on her version of the Bifröst? As I recall, it is you and SHIELD who encouraged her to continue her work, and now you want her to work with the 'iron man'. I see only _your_ hands in this, Director Nick Fury. Not mine."

Fury snorts and crosses his arms, but says nothing.

"If I may ask, why _do_ you want Jane to build you a portal? I have not been given the impression that you as a people are truly ready to visit other Realms."

Jane doesn't think Fury will answer, but he surprises her. "If she can manage to build one – and that's a _big_ 'if' – it'll be under our protection. And control."

"Ah," said Loki.

"Besides, your brother is an Avenger. We need a quick way to get him here, if we need him. Probably we will, if your friend Thanos and his alien buddies come back." Again, Jane gets the sense that Fury is deliberately goading Loki.

Predictably, Loki stiffens. "I already promised my aid, did I not? Which is _more_ than you deserve. You should consider yourself fortunate that I have no plans to retaliate against you for threatening Jane with torture."

Jane's jaw drops, as Loki's comment reminds her about her earlier thought. _Was he here the whole time listening in, hidden, watching me go insane with anxiety?_ She'd never told him Fury's plans, so how does Loki _know_? Her nails bite into her upper arms, but then she makes an effort to calm herself, aware of Romanov and Barton watching her out of the corner of her eye. _Later._

If Fury is afraid, he gives no sign that Jane can detect – at least not while staring at the back of his head, anyway. "Assuming I believe you, and this was all part of some elaborate plan," Fury goes on, as if Loki hasn't just threatened him, "If you can pull off a big scheme like that once, maybe you're doing it again, right _now_. It doesn't seem very coincidental that the last time you were here, you were all about building a portal, and now here you are again, this time in a 'relationship' with the planet's foremost authority on Einstein-Rosen bridges."

Loki looks down at his hands and takes a breath, looking suddenly worn out to Jane. "Even a trickster may grow tired of scheming. And although it may not be apparent, I am under house arrest here on Midgard. Asgard is watching, and if I harm a single human, the hammer will fall," he confides. Then he pauses, and adds bitterly. "So to speak."

"Yeah? Well, Earth is really large 'house'," Fury observes.

Loki shrugs. "Perhaps to you. I have seen the entirety of the Worlds Tree."

There's another long pause, during which the two men seem to be sizing each other up. Finally, Fury says: "You sure there is nothing else you want to attempt to explain to me, to convince me? Because as of right now, I'm not buying it." Somehow, Jane is sure Fury is still pressing Loki about Puente Antiguo, and what made him attack the very first time.

But Loki is done, apparently. "We are going in circles," he asserts. "I have told you all that is needful for you to know. Now you must make your decisions based on that. Jane has had a trying time and needs to rest, and you and I have no further business here." He gets up, staring at Jane through the glass. As a parting shot, he adds to Fury: "I fully understand your reticence to believe me. Like many others before you, you choose to expect the worst from me. However, know that I shall take great pleasure in proving your expectations wrong."

There's a blinding flash of light and Loki is then standing next to Jane. "Let us be off," he says to her, taking her elbow gently. He ignores their audience of Barton and Romanov, even as the former automatically gropes for a weapon he no longer carries.

"Wait!" Fury calls through the glass, and Loki blinks over at him, then motions with his hand. Another flash, and Fury is standing next to all of them. He looks disoriented for a second.

"Director?" Loki asks, a smirk hovering around his mouth, as he watches Fury trying to process what just happened.

"If we need to contact you? You know, for your 'help'," Fury asks, unable to hide a note of sarcasm.

"Contact Jane. She knows how to summon me." Loki waves his hand in an elaborate gesture, still holding Jane's arm, and in another eye-dazzling flash of light, she feels him remove them both from the area.

The moment they materialize – if that is the word – in front of her trailer, Jane braces herself for the worst. Her mind is still awhirl with all of the details she just heard Loki spill to Fury, but for the moment, she's worried about more practical things.

Like the state of her trailer.

First, though, she glances over at the lab. It's dark, thank God. Jane just can't deal with Darcy right now.

Jane steps forward to check her trailer door, her heart sinking as she sees the damage to the lock and the frame. _Oh c__rap_. She expected as much, but it still leaves her feeling slightly ill, slightly _violated_.

She doesn't have a key to the padlock SHIELD left in its place. Double crap. Then again, couldn't Loki just teleport them both inside?

She asks him, and he looks confused as to why she wants to get in there, but he does what she asks.

The mess inside is worse than she expected. Everything that was in a cabinet, closet, or drawer is on the floor. The boxes of notes she meant to take to the lab are gone entirely.

Her eyes sting, but she shoves back the tears. She's not going to let SHIELD win, even in this small thing.

Except, hasn't she already won? Thanks to Loki.

_Um, won_ what, _exactly?_ mocks the negative voice in her head. _Your home is trashed, SHIELD may or may not allow you to continue your research, you've probably lost your reputation for good in the scientific community, _and_ you've lost your friendship with Erik. And probably Darcy too, once she finds out!_

_Messes can be cleaned up, _Jane counters._ Heck, maybe Loki's magic can help with that somehow. SHIELD will let me continue my work if they know what's _good_ for them. If they don't want an angry God of Mischief on their hands. And as for reputation…_what _fucking_ _reputation? My fellow academics already decided I was nuts a long time ago! _

The friendship loss is harder to rationalize, but it's too late, at least for her friendship with Erik. She supposes she can only keep on reaching out to him, apologizing, and maybe with time he'll forgive her. What else can she do?

And there's no way to know how Darcy will react, so why worry about something that may not even happen? That's a waste of energy Jane just doesn't have right now.

Speaking of Gods of Mischief, hers is looking around at the damage, his expression darkening rapidly with anger. "I take it SHIELD did this?" he asks.

Jane doesn't think she can handle Loki having a tantrum right now – she's barely holding on to her own self-control – so she does her best to placate him. "I think it's what they always do in situations like this. It's not personal or anything. Besides," she shrugs, "I have to move anyway, right? I may as well organize and pack up this mess all at the same time." Fighting to stay calm, she wonders if her lab has been similarly tossed, and whether Darcy is totally freaking out right now. Wherever she is.

Jane feels totally adrift, overwhelmed. There's too much new information about Loki to think through, and the only familiar, safe place she knows is a disaster zone. She needs to just find a calm, _clean_ place to try to work everything out in her head.

"Can you take us somewhere else?" she asks him. "I just need a place to…think. To rest." She wishes they could just go to the new apartment, but although it's clean and is ready for her to move into, that's all. There's nothing there, no bed, no sofa, no table, not even a single chair.

"Of course," he replies. He stops still for a moment, and he looks like he is concentrating very deeply on something, and then there's the expected flash of light.

They wind up in another hotel room. Jane sighs inwardly, but there are no better options available. She collapses on the bed, resting her head in her hands and closing her eyes, as she tries to decide what to say to Loki. The silence stretches between them.

She wants to believe him, to believe everything he'd said to Fury. It doesn't absolve him of everything he's done, but at least she can start to understand, maybe even (eventually) accept his past.

And yet, he's such a good _actor_. Can she really believe him?

There's so many things she wants to ask him. Where to start? "That was quite a…story." Phrasing it like that makes it sound like she doesn't believe him, but she can't think what else to say.

"You may call it that," Loki replies. He seems calm, but he doesn't meet Jane's eyes. Instead, he walks over to a window, looking out.

Something feels off to Jane. He's such a good actor, that's been established, so why is he making it so obvious that something is _wrong_?

"Why didn't you tell Fury everything?" she asks, standing up and approaching him hesitantly.

There's a long silence as Loki continues to stare out the window. "I may only say to you what I said to him: It is not relevant." Now he does turn to her, meeting her gaze squarely. "I omitted only two minor pieces of information, Jane Foster. One is between Asgard and myself, and best left there. The other…" He shrugs and turns away again. "Also not of key import."

Jane waits, but he says nothing more, and finally she can stand the silence no longer. She tries switching to a topic that seems safer; maybe she can get him to open up about those 'two pieces of information' sometime later. "'I know how to contact you?' That's kind of news to me."

Loki's brow furrows as he turns back to her. "You say my name, and I come. Is that not sufficient?"

"I called your name yesterday at least once. Probably 'summoned' you in my head at least fifty times. But I didn't see you for _hours_." Even as she says it, she knows what his answer will be, she already figured out as much from what he said to Fury.

"I was present the whole time," he answers, confirming it. "I knew the moment Agent Romanov made contact with you. I watched and made sure no one harmed you."

"And you didn't think that maybe instead of watching, you should've helped me get out of there, I don't know, _right away_? Or even just let me know somehow that you were _there_?" Jane snaps, her voice rising. Her forehead gives a warning throb. She probably shouldn't be arguing with him, her headache wants to reestablish itself, but somehow she just can't let this go.

"You were never in any actual danger," Loki comments, eyes calmly assessing her.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that!" she retorts.

Loki blinks at her, irritation back on his face. "I thought your faith in me would sustain you. Perhaps I was mistaken."

Goaded beyond irritation, Jane starts yelling. "Faith?! What the hell are you talking about?! You promised to keep SHIELD from making my life miserable if they ever found out about us, and then when it actually happens, you let me sit and stew for hours, wondering if you were ever going to show up?! Sitting there and thinking Fury was really going to torture me?! Almost panicking myself into an aneurysm!"

Loki's expression darkens further, but his voice stays mild, that tone which by now only irritates Jane even further, gasoline thrown on her anger. Like he's a parent and she's an irrational child. "I suppose I expected that you would either trust me completely, and thus not fear what SHIELD might do, knowing I would never allow harm to come to you. Or otherwise that you would betray me and cooperate with them. Never once did I think that you would defend me to them with such vim, all while seriously _doubting_ me."

Another spike of pain shoots through her head, and Jane bites her lip hard, fighting for control. She manages to calm down, but only _just_. "How could I _not_ have doubts, Loki? You've never tried to explain to me what happened, why you attacked us. Never mind the fact that, as everyone has reminded me over and over lately- you're _the_ _God of Lies_! I thought you'd abandoned me!" Her voice starts to rise all over again.

He looks bemused. "Despite my reputation, why would you believe such of me? Have I ever given you cause-"

Jane shakes her head, her forehead giving another warning throb. "Why should you put yourself out for a casual sex partner?"

He stares at her for a long moment. "I am a God. And I have chosen to have this 'arrangement' with _you_. _And_ I promised to keep you from harm. Was I not clear? I do not understand your lack of faith. Your kind once worshipped us."

Jane can't help laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, hysteria edging her amusement. "I'm a _scientist_, Loki. I deal in evidence. Solid things, things you can see and touch and measure. Not faith. Not religion. If you want to call yourself a god, that's fine. Yes, you use magic, and I don't understand how it works, but Thor once told me that magic and science are basically the same, and I can live with that…for now. But expecting me to put my faith in you, blindly….well, that's a tall order."

Loki snorts and shakes his head, turning away from her dismissively. "You Midgardians have lost your way. You scorn religion, but still you worship. The only thing that has changed is _what_ you worship - Money. Identity. Power. Knowledge. And you think that makes you more advanced than those who came before you?"

Jane's not about to get into a religious discussion with him, not with her head throbbing like this. "Don't change the subject, Loki! This is about you and me. I had doubts, yes, but you apparently had doubts about me, too! Did you really think I would _betray_ you?" she asks, throwing his words back at him.

But Loki only stares out the window for a long moment. "Everyone else has," he finally mutters, so quietly Jane is barely able to hear him.

"So you're judging me based on what _other _people have done to you? Swell. How unfair is that? When have I ever not been truthful with you?" she accuses him, totally offended now.

He turns and takes a step back towards her, eyes narrowed. "You never mentioned to me how Stark was building a power source specifically for your Rainbow Bridge."

Jane rolls her eyes. "Can you blame me? Besides, you didn't ask."

He cocks his head at her. "As you did not ask me what happened before we met," he points out coolly.

He's right, sort of, but Jane isn't in the mood to concede his point. "What's happened to you, that you live your life like this? Always waiting for the other shoe to drop; always expecting betrayals?" It reminds her of how surprised he'd seemed, when she'd chosen him over Thor, the day they'd fought behind her trailer.

But he turns away from her again. "As I said, it is family business, Jane Foster."

Jane is so angry she throws her hands up in the air. "So I have to trust you implicitly, because you're a _god_, and yet, you don't have to trust me back." Jane rubs at her aching forehead, then her eyes. Maybe this is really not the best time for this.

If she wants him to open up to her more, attacking him isn't exactly going to accomplish that goal, is it?

After yet another long silence, Loki speaks. "My apologies, Lady," he says stiffly. And rather insincerely, as far as Jane can tell.

Jane finally becomes aware of just how emotionally raw she is. She shakes her achy head, slowly. "You know what? I can't deal with this right now. It's been a long day-and-a-half, and I need some time to get my head on straight." The only private place in here is the bathroom, and Jane totters towards it.

It's probably a bad idea leaving him alone, as she has no clue where they are, and he'll probably blip away from here the first chance he gets. But she's too tired and headachy and wrung out to care.

Before she closes the bathroom door, she can't resist adding back over her shoulder: "I don't want your apologies. I want you to trust me. To be _open _with me." But she doesn't wait for a reply that she's pretty sure won't come, she just closes the door.

She's all alone now. Except for her headache, of course. Massaging her forehead doesn't help. Maybe a hot shower? She wants to wash off the events of the last day and a half anyway. Erik's anger. Fury's mistrust. And what she had done with Loki in the prison cell – why had she let him seduce her like that?

_You really _have _lost it. No wonder Erik and Fury don't trust you. Do you even trust yourself anymore?_

_I don't know. _

_I need to take a shower and forget about all this. At least for a couple minutes. _

She gets undressed, dropping her clothes in an untidy pile on the floor, and steps into the shower. She adjusts the water to nearly-scalding, but then the memories start to crowd into her mind again.

A thousand people killed or hurt, all to protect Asgard. And Midgard. And _everything_. According to Loki.

Coulson _alive_.

Loki tortured, intestines torn out, acid dripped on him.

Loki getting Erik to build a way out into the portal. According to _Loki_.

_He's the God of Lies,_ Erik's voice, and Fury's voice, whisper in her mind

It echoes over and over.

_Lies._

_Lies._

_Lies._

It's too much, it's _been_ too much. Her interrogation and imprisonment by SHIELD, the trashing of her home, the threat of losing her research (again!), the probable loss of Darcy, and Erik…

Jane's head feels as if it's going to explode, and she can't hold back the floodgates any longer. She puts her face in her hands and cries, hot water pouring down and sluicing the tears away.

He stretches out a thread of magic to follow after Jane once she closes the door between them, to keep an eye on her, and he can feel her distress. So odd, that he feels so little remorse about the other Midgardians whom he has killed and maimed, and yet _her_ tears move him to guilt. Is she in the process of changing him, influencing him? Is this how she turned Thor from arrogant boy, to the warrior-hero of two Realms?

He had truly not intended for Jane to suffer. His purpose had been two-fold: to see what SHIELD would do, and to see what his lover would do. Had he realized the depths of her internal conflict, he would have intervened faster. Or so he tells himself.

Perhaps _his_ faith in her faith had been misplaced. _These Midgardians and their eroded beliefs. They still worship, but all the wrong things, and Jane Foster is no different. _No wonder she had not trusted him, despite the fact he _is_ a God.

He is immortal, has seen the universe, and knows just how insignificant the lives of Midgardians are, in the grand scheme of things. Thanos, and stopping him, is vastly more important than a few lives, and a few _lies_.

And yet, unwelcome as the thought is, he knows that he is being unjust to Jane. He _is_ the God of Mischief and Lies, is he not? Indeed, he has always felt pride about that, about boasting the intelligence needed to wield both lies and mischief. And now his lover mistrusts him, and yet he takes offense? _How ironic._

And there is also this: Jane Foster trusts him enough, not merely just to share her body with him, but to yield complete control to him. At least up to the present point.

Loki sighs and rubs his own forehead, feeling an echo of Jane's headache. He is not yet ready to give up his dominion over her, so to speak. And yet, can he yield to her what she most desires – the full measure of truth, every last word and deed?

_Surely not._

_He_ can barely tolerate the idea of the monster he truly is, under this illusory skin. Surely Jane Foster, Midgardian and 'scientist', will be terrified and disgusted.

As to the other matter, though…Loki pauses.

If he closes his eyes, it is as if he is back there again. The nightmare so easily made flesh once more, that it disturbs him:

_He pins the weak little human male down on the stone table, reaching into his coat pocket for the device which will remove the man's eye. Blank-faced, he plunges it into the mortal's head, but disgust surges inside him at the _inelegance _of the whole process. Loki is a warrior, he has killed and will kill again, but these mortals are no warriors, there is no glory in this, even to one such as himself-_

_The scepter suddenly purrs in his other hand, holding the mortal still even as he expires from shock, and almost against his will, Loki's gaze goes to his victim's face. The eye that has been removed, it is the same eye his 'father' lacks-_

Yes, remember how your supposed father lied to you, _Thanos' voice whispers in his mind, cruel and amused. _How he allowed you to grow up believing you were equal to your Asgardian brother, and your Asgardian brothers- and sister-in-arms. All the while, planning to install you on a Jotun throne, a Realm away from the life you had made and that you _loved_. How he planned to exile you to Jotunheim, to sacrifice your happiness for his 'peace'.

Remember how disappointed he was, how he cast you out, when you should be king, when the Asgardians should fear, love, and obey you. See these humans about you, observe their fear. They fear you and your strength. Does that not make you feel _powerful_, orphaned god?

_It did. And so Loki had given in, smiling cruelly as the humans screamed and ran. He conjured his armour about himself, trailing unhurriedly after them… _

And later, locked in Fury's glass cage:

_Loki watches Romanov through the glass, listening to her words. She would sacrifice much to get her 'Hawkeye' back. How interesting._

How she loves him, _Thanos sneers, so loud in Loki's head that Loki wishes he could somehow cover his ears and silence the hated voice. Dimly, he is aware of the scepter, far away and yet somehow practically in this glass aquarium with him, thrumming subtly._

Nobody cares for you in that way, do they? Or ever did. How could they? God of Lies, and a Jotun. _Thanos laughs. _But on the other hand, is it not a weakness, to love? Perhaps you should demonstrate such to this mewling bag of female flesh.

_Sudden rage fills Loki like boiling water, and almost before he realizes it, he is pressed up against the glass, promising_ _Romanov the horrors he will force Barton to visit upon her… _

Even while fighting Thor:

_The Chitauri zip by, explosions in their wake._

"_Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?" Thor pants desperately._

_Wavering, Loki looks past Thor's shoulder at the destruction. _

"_It's too late. It's too late to stop it."_

_Thor shakes his head. "No. We can, together."_

_And Loki wants to, wants to give in. Perhaps this is where he can start to find his way back to….home. _

_But Thanos' malice swirls in his brain. _They will never allow things to be as they were, _he whispers to Loki._ They will denounce you for the crimes you have committed, lock you up and parade their children by your cell as a warning. Besides, did you ever _have_ a home? Such childish foolishness. They tolerated you, _endured_ you, as Thor's brother and a Prince, but they never truly cared for you. And that was when they believed you to be _Asgardian_.

_Gritting his teeth, Loki stabs his knife forward, although he's not sure if it is Thor he is trying to kill, or rather the dark voice inside his mind. "Sentiment," he glowers down at his former brother._

_Even as he still looks frantically for a way out, one that will not alert Thanos._

With an effort, Loki drags his attention back into the present. Can he trust Jane with this? How can he, when everyone else refuses to accept his words? Perhaps Coulson might – he had seen true, after all, as to Loki's lack of 'conviction' – but somehow Loki doubts the mortal will be on his side, not after Loki stabbed him.

But if he does not give her something of the truth….will she dissolve their 'arrangement'? He does not think he can tolerate that. Out of all the Nine Realms, she is the only being to truly accept him (despite her obvious misgivings), and he does not want to give that up. His last brief foray into madness had cost several Midgardians their lives, and nearly an entire planet full of despised Jotuns. He does not wish to be driven down the path of rage and insanity once more.

She had defended him to her friend Erik, and to Fury. Even in the face of her own doubts. Surely that had earned her the privilege of being taken a _little _further into his confidence?

Squaring his shoulders, he strides purposefully towards Jane in her artificial waterfall chamber, even as Thanos' voice flits, amused, through his mind once more:

_But on the other hand, is it not a weakness, to love? _

Followed closely by Romanov's voice:

_Love is for children._

And finally, Odin's:

_Foolish child._

_This is not love_, Loki replies to the voices. What it is, he does not know, but he _requires_ it, so he will fight to keep it.

Jane lets the hot water beat down over the top of her head, closing her eyes and trying to stop the flow of tears. It's not just the fight she just had with Loki, it's _everything_ – all the stress and fear she's had to endure over the last day and a half.

Not that this makes her feel any better. In a way, thanks to what she witnessed, she feels like she understands him a little better now. But after that fight, he feels even more closed-off from her. Once she gets out of the shower, will he even still be here? And if not, will that mean he's ended things?

Her forehead throbs mercilessly.

The cheap plastic shower curtain is pulled sharply back, and Loki steps right into the bathtub behind Jane, armour and all. The water patters wetly on him, and Jane almost laughs despite her tears. Some things don't change, apparently – even in this situation, Loki keeps his fucking armour on!

At least for a second. His armour then shimmers and vanishes, and he steps forward to take her in his arms, drawing her a little out of the streaming water.

Jane can't read his expression, and his eyes won't meet hers, but his hands come up, massaging her scalp in small circles, and Jane's eyes flutter shut. He murmurs something against her temple, too low for her to make out, but the pain in her head dims down to a dull, barely perceptible ache, then to nothing. Jane blinks.

_I thought he said he couldn't heal other people?_

"Forgive me, my Jane," he says, eyes downcast. He leans down, pressing his forehead to hers. His voice is just barely audible over the roar of the water. "I did not realize that events would impact you so severely. Truly, my purpose was to observe what SHIELD would do. Before my two most recent 'visits' to your world, I had not been on Midgard in _eons. _And in the past, your people had strong faith in their gods. They sacrificed to them, prayed to them, and did not doubt or question." Finally, his eyes meet hers, and Jane thinks he looks a little sad. "I suppose it is all too easy for an immortal to forget how quickly things can change, in a mortal Realm."

Jane sighs. It's not really what she wants from him – she wants him to _trust_ her, not apologize, didn't she tell him that? – but she doesn't want to fight about it. Not now. Not until she feels like she has solid ground beneath her feet.

"Apology accepted," she replies. _At least for now,_ she says to herself. What will happen the next time he goes off on her, if she tries to pry information out of him, however-

His face impassive, Loki reaches past her for the bar of soap and starts to work up a lather. "Turn around," he says to her, beckoning her to walk out completely from under the falling water.

Jane raises an eyebrow but does as she's told, turning away from him, and even though she's expecting it, it's hard to withhold a soft moan as he works soapy hands around and down her neck and shoulders, then along her arms. He even washes her hands, massaging the lather between each finger.

Jane expects him to reach around and touch her breasts next, but he doesn't. She can almost feel him smirking behind her, as his hands slip and slide down along her belly instead, rubbing the suds across her skin in tiny circles, then around and back up her back, massaging skin and muscle as he goes.

She has to brace both hands against the tiled wall as his hands move lower once more, rubbing slickly in circles on each buttock now. There's a pause in his motions, and she can tell he's kneeling down behind her. His hands move to the backs of her thighs and calves, before he reaches around to soap the front part of her legs. Then he lifts each foot and accords each a thorough wash, and Jane flinches a little, ticklish, much to his apparent amusement.

He stands back up again, pressing his chest firmly to her back, and delivers a soft kiss to the side of her neck. Jane closes her eyes, melting into him, nails digging into tile as his soapy fingers finally caress across her breasts. He spends a long time there, massaging the soap into her soft skin, then working his leisurely way around, one nipple at a time, in tantalizing circles. He finally squeezes each one gently, and runs his fingers down over her breast and belly in one fluid motion.

Jane pushes back into him, moaning and spreading her legs before he can demand it, whimpering when slick fingers start to explore between her legs. He chuckles, massaging the soap into her pubic hair, then he turns her back to face him, urging her legs further apart. His face is level with hers, bright blue eyes drinking in her expression, as he crouches slightly and allows his hand to resume soaping between her folds, circling her clit so slowly Jane has to bite back a curse.

Lust coils hotly in her belly, but when Jane nearly slips on the wet surface beneath her, she decides this really isn't the best place for this. "Let me just wash my hair, and then let's move somewhere where I'm less likely to break my leg," she suggests, and Loki nods and moves back, letting her step under the spray and rinse herself.

He doesn't stay hands-off for long, however, his slim fingers winding through her hair and taking over for her, a few moments after she starts to wash it. It feels _really_ good, Jane decides, relaxing as he scrubs and massages. After rinsing the shampoo away, she decides turnabout is fair play. "Your turn," she informs him, pouring more shampoo into her hand.

He smirks, but dips his head so she can reach easily. "Anybody ever tell you, you _could _dial back on the hair-gel?" she can't resist pointing out. She loves his hair, and she's damned curious to see what it would look like, and _feel_ like, without all the product….whatever it is. The Asgardian equivalent of pomade, Jane guesses. Randomly, she wonders if this is just another aspect of his control-freakishness, that he has to maintain iron control over his own _hair_, too. Scary thought.

He looks a little ridiculous with his hair all sudsed up, and Jane has to struggle to suppress a giggle. "Do you mock me, woman?" he growls, but playfully. "And I'll have you know, wench, that it is key in battle to make sure that one's hair does not impede one's view. Hence the 'gel', as you name it."

Trying to picture Loki with a buzz-cut makes Jane have to stifle another giggle, as Loki moves past her to rinse off. Um, yeah, that would _not _go well with his Asgardian finery, in her humble opinion.

She turns to watch, and he's standing naked, facing her, his skin bejeweled with tiny droplets of water. Jane reaches eagerly for the soap, wanting to feel his skin under her fingertips.

He closes his eyes and braces a hand against the wall, obviously enjoying her efforts. She starts with his neck and then his slender, toned arms, moving afterwards to massage the firm muscles of his chest and down his belly. Copying him, she skips over _his_ most sensitive region and kneels down to soap his legs instead, then she stands up again and orders him to turn.

He opens his eyes and raises a sardonic eyebrow, but obeys. Then he chuckles as she uses her washing as an excuse to give his crazily-firm buttocks a good squeeze. "Do you like what you see, my love?" he smirks back at her.

"It's not bad," she says, pretending indifference as she gives his ass another squeeze.

"Have a care, Jane Foster," he rumbles. "I had no plans to take you over my knee this night, but should you persist…" He trails off suggestively.

She's not really in the mood for _that_, so instead she reaches around his hip and wraps her fingers around his length, but just for one quick stroke before she takes her hand away. "I think you forgot to cleanse me thoroughly there, minx," he informs her, after a gasp and a cheated glare.

"Did I? Turn around and I'll fix that right now," she coaxes him, and though he turns right away, she makes him wait, deliberately working up a big lather between her palms, before applying it to him.

He braces a hand on the wall again, but this time his eyes are open, his gaze locked on her ministrations. She starts with his balls, gently caressing with slippery fingers. When she can tell he's on the verge of snarling with impatience, she finally palms his shaft, rubbing the soap over the thick veins, working her way slowly up to the hot, pulsing head.

She pumps him slowly, his hips arching into her touch, and finally Loki rasps something Norse – or so Jane presumes – under his breath and turns sharply away from her, rinsing himself off. Then he tugs Jane forward and rinses her hands free of soap too.

The water abruptly turns _itself_ off, and Jane is scooped up, soaking wet. Loki carries her straight out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, laying her down on the bedspread.

"Loki, what the-" she starts, but he climbs up on the bed, looming over her on all fours. He leans down to kiss her aggressively, beads of water running down his face and onto hers, and falling from the ends of his jet hair to splash onto her skin.

"I hunger, and I will wait no longer," he whispers against her mouth after breaking the kiss. He strokes her throat, and she quivers. It's a little chilly in the room but Jane doesn't care, the heat of his mouth branding itself against her throat. He licks drops of water from her skin, moving lower and lower, eventually visiting each nipple, licking, suckling, tugging with gentle teeth. The water dripping from his body is cooling, the little splashes almost shocking on her skin, and Jane moans and arches her back, tangling her fingers into his hair.

He moves ever downward, continuing to lap the beads of water away, even as his hair trails over her skin, leaving new wet paths in his wake. He reaches up to free his hair from her fingers, once his lips reach the top of her mound.

Loki looks up and gives her the most indecent grin she's ever seen on a man's face, before hooking a strong hand under each one of her knees, lifting her legs up and wide apart. His lips graze tenderly across her folds, and Jane squirms and gasps, heat gathering in her core, her belly, her chest.

His tongue pushes softly into the shallow trough between her thighs, parting her, continuing to lick away errant water droplets. He keeps looking up to watch her reactions as he teases, and Jane digs her nails into the damp bedspread, biting her lip.

He's gentle but impatient, releasing his grip on her legs and pushing two fingers deep inside her, prodding against the spots he knows will get her toes to curl. Jane feels herself clench tight around him, her consciousness shrinking until there's only her, and Loki, and what he's doing to her.

His other hand holds her folds wide open, giving him access to _everything_, allowing him to sweetly torture every nerve ending, spasms ripping through her when he turns his full attention to the throbbing little nub above his penetrating fingers.

Every single one of Jane's muscles seizes as he eases an orgasm from her.

But he doesn't stop, and although he's not being rough, she's very sensitive and it's exquisite, pleasure-verging-on-pain. Her cries become louder, turning to gasping pleas, and finally to a choked-off scream, as she gives in to pleasure, to _him_, once more.

Water is still dripping from his hair, his body, as he climbs back over her. Though Jane feels like she's moving through molasses, she forces her reluctant body to move, to push on his chest until he's lying on his back, and she's straddling him.

Out of the back of her mind, a fragment of memory surfaces. Jane runs her fingertips along his belly. No scar, not a trace of what Thanos did to him. He may be immortal, but Jane still can barely believe it, how even he could possibly heal so thoroughly from something so brutal.

Assuming he'd told the truth.

Smiling lazily up at her, Loki makes a small motion of his hand, a foil packet appearing from thin air between his fingers. "Do with me as you will, Lady," he encourages, eyes glinting up at her, amused and playful.

Jane blinks at the condom. "Where the hell did that come from, anyway?"

"Pocket dimension," Loki says, as if she should know what that means.

"So, let me get this straight, you're keeping a pack of Trojans in a kind of interdimensional closet." Jane raises her eyebrow at him.

Loki laughs and shifts slightly underneath her, his erection rubbing against her thigh. "If you wish to call it so." His eyes are darkly green, his skin still glistening damply.

Jane plucks the condom from his hand and sets it aside, then runs her hands all over him again, exactly as she did in the shower. She smoothes the last few drops of water along his skin, and he quivers underneath her like a bowstring when she drags her fingers down the dark line of hair running towards his groin.

She slithers lower and takes him into her mouth in just about one motion and he gasps, hips bucking up slightly to meet her. A few water droplets remain on his balls, and she strokes them gently away, then wraps her hand around the part of his shaft that she just can't fit into her mouth, sucking lightly on him.

He's the one fisting the bedspread now, Jane notes. She's the one in control. Though Loki would probably argue the point, if she dared to say it out loud. The thought makes her smile around him.

"Perhaps," he growls through clenched teeth, short minutes later, "you should consider making use of our condom. Now."

Smirking at him, Jane does as he says, then climbs back atop him and lowers herself slowly, impaling herself gradually on him. He watches her, his breathing getting faster, his skin glistening but with sweat now.

When she has all of him inside her, she continues to move slowly, languorously, teasing him. _Daring_ him.

Wise to her game, he tries to hold out as long as he can, but soon enough Jane finds herself back on the bottom. "Vixen," he hisses in her ear, pinning her wrists to the mattress, as his thrusts become faster, rougher. Jane would laugh, but he's stealing her words and her breath with hungry kisses.

She's too tired and sated to come again, but she doesn't mind at all. It's fascinating to watch him lose control, without any distractions. His eyes squeeze shut and a low groan tears itself from his throat as he thrusts one last time, the harshest thrust of all, before releasing himself into her.

He collapses forward onto her, releasing her wrists. He's heavy and her lungs have to fight to fill themselves, but Jane doesn't really want him to move. He's so _warm_, all hard muscle covered with smooth soft skin, his still-damp hair brushing against her cheeks.

But he does move away at last, and Jane snuggles up against him, feeling the chill of the room and of the damp duvet beneath them trying to leach away her warmth.

When she shivers, Loki draws her closer. He mutters something she doesn't understand, but she feels gentle heat envelope them, warming her skin and drying their hair and the bedclothes. When everything is dry, he banishes the spell, then pulls her flush against his chest, though his eyes are closed again when she looks up at his face.

Jane closes her eyes, letting herself drift, though his voice startles her back to full wakefulness. "I shall tell you something, Jane Foster, that not only did I not tell Director Fury, but which even Thor and Odin do not know."

He pauses, but Jane bites her tongue and makes herself wait. "It is true, that I _seemed_ to enjoy the killing, the chaos that I caused. But I did not. _Would_ not, had it not been for Thanos."

Jane shakes her head. "I don't get it."

Loki's eyes open, his expression bleak as he looks down at her. "The weapon he gave me, the scepter, through it he could influence the minds of others. This I did tell Fury, you will recall."

Jane nods. She remembers the scepter also from the pictures Fury showed her from the thick file folder yesterday. All gold and bladed edges, with that glowing blue….gem?

"Fury's Avengers experienced this 'effect', themselves, at one point, as I told him this morn. They had the scepter in their vicinity, and nearly came to blows due to its influence. But I, I had to carry it about my person." He takes a deep breath, and exhales shakily, or so it seems to Jane.

"I could remember my plan, and keep the knowledge of it shielded from Thanos, the scepter was not able to influence me to _that _extent. But through the scepter, Thanos could appeal to my baser, darker nature. Guide my thoughts and feelings towards being cruel and sadistic, just like him. And I, despite my best efforts, after all that I had experienced, I could not resist-" He breaks off, his breathing now definitely shaky. Abruptly he lets go of Jane and rolls over, so his back is to her.

Jane wraps herself around him immediately, pressing her cheek to his spine. "You did the best you could. And I'd say you won. We're all still here." _Minus one thousand humans or so, _the negative little voice mocks. Jane swears at it until it shuts the fuck up.

Loki says nothing, his muscles stiff as if he's trying to defend himself against her touch.

"Why didn't you tell Odin and Thor –and Fury?" she asks, softly. "If even the Avengers experienced this, too-"

"I still doubt they would believe me. They would not have realized Thanos' hand in their moods, they are not attuned to the sensation of magic, as is one such as myself. Thor? No. He is ever a warrior, not a mage. Perhaps Odin, but…." Loki shrugs, his muscles moving under Jane's cheek. "He is not inclined to believe _anything_ I say."

He sounds ashamed to Jane. Why? Because he's not as powerful as he wants everyone to believe? Because the 'master strategist' couldn't keep himself from being controlled, even as he tried so hard to control everything else, turn it in his favour? But she doesn't feel ready to ask him. He's too raw. She's no psychologist, or a 'people person', but even she can sense that.

"There was nothing else I could have done, however," Loki continues after a silence. "Had I let the scepter go too far away from me – or worse, tried to destroy it – Thanos would have been alerted as to my duplicity. Had I even been able to resist his attempts to influence me, perhaps that alone would have triggered his suspicions." Loki shakes his head. "The risk was too great."

"I understand," Jane says, and she thinks she does, as much as she can. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

There's another silence, and then Loki moves a little away from her, detangling her arms from around him, but it's so he can assume his prior position, cradling her to his chest again. Though his eyes shift away from hers when she tries to meet them.

"I forgot to say earlier, you did well," he says to her.

_Huh?_ Jane blinks up at him. "At what?" she asks.

"When Fury was questioning you," Loki clarifies.

Jane shrugs. "I just told the truth."

"I know," he says, and Jane can't help finding the whole thing ironic. A God of Lies, appreciating _truth_?

She wonders if there is any way she can get him to tell her about the _other_ thing. The so-called 'family affair'.

"And the other thing you didn't want to tell Fury about?" she prods gently.

But Loki's mouth hardens, his body tensing all over again, and she can almost feel him debating whether or not to roll away from her again.

"I cannot. But you may trust me on this – it is _not_ relevant."

_No, you_ will _not_, Jane thinks, but she won't push him further. He's just started to open up to her, slowly. If she acts like it's still not enough, he may just shut down completely. That's not what she wants.

But as a scientist, her curiosity is not so easily evaded. "Can you at least, then, explain to me why you attacked Puente Antiguo that first time? Was it just because you were angry at Thor? You don't need to tell me _why_ exactly you were angry with him," she amends hastily, when Loki's muscles stiffen even more against her. Yes, this is really a sore point with him.

He relaxes, slightly, but says nothing.

Just when Jane thinks this is totally useless, and she should just try to get some sleep, he finally says, haltingly. "All I can say is this: Yes, I was angry at Thor. And _others_. And my rage and pain were so great, no other's pain or death mattered. And yes, I realize that is an entirely weak justification."

Jane shakes her head. "I'm not judging you."

But Loki laughs bitterly. "Thor and Odin, who have known me my entire life, judge me to be without worth, and mistrust all that I say." He catches her chin, raising her eyes to meet his blazing ones. "You, who have only known me less than two mortal months, why should _you_ trust me, value me?"

Because it seems like the right thing to do, Jane squirms upwards and then busses him soundly on the mouth, much to Loki's astonishment. "I just want to _understand_," she says simply. "And how could I possibly judge? I don't know anything about fighting battles, or saving planets – or universes! Hell, I barely know anything about _our_ universe, and I've been studying outer space my whole life!"

It's his turn to blink at her, but a smile tugs at the side of his mouth as Jane yawns abruptly. Christ, she's exhausted. She needs rest, needs time to consolidate all this.

Without warning Loki scoops her up (she yelps and clutches at him) and pulls the bedspread and sheets back, then he returns them both to the bed again.

"Sleep," he urges her, settling her against him.

But it seems much like Jane, Loki's mind has trouble letting go of some questions, as only a few moments pass, before he asks: "Despite what he said, do you think Fury actually believed me?"

Jane tries to organize her fatigued brain into a coherent answer. "I don't know," she says. She hopes he won't ask her if _she_ believes him, because she doesn't know what to say.

She wants to, she really does. But he's such a good actor, when he wants to be. Again, there's that irony – she trusts him enough to give him power over her, at least in the kinky sex department, but the rest…

_Maybe with time,_ she tells herself. Time, and a chance to see how he is with SHIELD, and Thor, and her, going forward.

Actions speak louder than words, especially words that come from the God of Lies, right?


	10. The God Who Cried Wolf Ch 3

**The God Who Cried Wolf (3/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: June 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Part Four of the Light in the Dark series. Jane's life does its best to return to normal. Or as normal as it can be, given the involvement of the Norse God of Mischief.**

**Beta: canyr12 ROCKS SO HARD.**

**Disclaimer: Don't sue me, Marvel. I'm just doing what you won't.**

**Author's Note: Movie!verse, because Tom Hiddleston is hot.**

Jane awakens to a low grumbling sound. A second later, she realizes it's her stomach. _When did I last eat something? In the cell at SHIELD? Yeah._ While it wouldn't be the first time she's skipped one (or two!) meals – usually while she's working at the lab, convinced she's on the verge of a scientific breakthrough – obviously this is not ideal. No wonder she's felt so tired, ever since waking up with Loki in the SHIELD prison.

As if in agreement, her stomach growls loudly again, this time accompanied by a sharp hunger pang, and Jane gropes for her watch. 2:17pm, Jesus Christ, no wonder she's starving.

That's when she realizes the bed is empty. Did Loki leave her again-?

She sits up and scans the small room, panic already trying to take hold of her. But no, he's sitting at the small table in the opposite corner of the room, flipping through what seems to be a magazine. The scientist part of her brain wonders if Loki can even read English.

He glances up at her worried face, then smiles reassuringly. It's his sweet smile, and ruefully Jane decides that she really needs to stop expecting him to just take off after they have sex. He hasn't done that in a while, right?

He's wearing his usual Asgardian leather armour, but Jane can see he's left out at least some of the hair-gel, even if the rest of him seems unchanged. She rather likes it – his hair is a little softer, a little wavier, a little fuller around his angular face. It suits him a lot better, though she finds herself too shy to compliment him on it.

Loki puts the magazine down. "I did not think, after all that had happened, that you would wish me to leave."

"No," Jane shakes her head. "I'm glad you're here. Do gods even need to sleep?" she asks, curiously. Not that she's all that sure she really thinks of him as a _god_ (as a scientist, it's a hard thing to accept), but _he_ obviously believes it, so she'll go with it for now.

"Not as much as mortals," Loki allows.

Jane's stomach growls audibly again, and Loki smirks at her blush. "Um, do gods need to eat?" she asks, pushing the covers aside.

"Not really, but that has never stopped us," Loki answers, winking at her. "I take it that we need to silence the lion in your belly before we tackle anything else this day?"

"Yeah, before I faint of starvation." Jane rolls out of bed, wondering where she left her clothes. After a quick search (she's aware of Loki's eyes on her naked backside the whole time, though mercifully he keeps any lustful observations to himself for once) she discovers they are still on the bathroom floor. She winces at having to put on dirty clothes, but a loud gurgle from her stomach silences that. Food first, fresh clothes after, and then….well, let's focus on that for now.

She dresses quickly and returns to the bedroom, surprised to see that Loki is now clad in his dark suit and coat, instead of the Asgardian armour. "Where do you wish to procure a meal?" he asks.

Without really thinking, Jane automatically says the first thing that comes to mind: "Isabelle's diner?"

Loki whisks them away so fast, Jane doesn't have time to second-guess herself. A flash of white light, and they're standing in front of the diner, afternoon sunshine bouncing off the windows and reflecting into Jane's eyes. The street is relatively crowded, and Jane looks around nervously, but if anyone has noticed their sudden appearance from thin air, they're hiding their shock well.

Loki moves towards the diner's door, but then turns back and frowns as he realizes Jane is not following. "What troubles you, little one?"

_Where to start?_ "Uh, Darcy and Erik could be in there. This is their favourite hangout, too." If they _are_ there, knowing her luck lately, she and Loki probably have already been spotted-

"They are not," Loki says calmly, not indicating how he knows. "And even if they were, I am a master of illusion, as you no doubt recall."

Yeah, like Jane would be comfortable, hiding from Erik and Darcy behind an illusion. That would be yet another betrayal, wouldn't it? Not that she says as much to Loki.

But despite Loki's assurances, Jane still hesitates. Izzy won't likely recognize Loki, but he (or rather, his Destroyer) _is_ responsible for closing this place for a long time. Izzy's only been open and in business again for the last two months or so. And now Loki is just going to casually walk in like any other patron? It just seems so, so…._wrong_ somehow.

But Jane's stomach doesn't care about justice and ethics and morals, and as the door swings open in front of Loki as two other customers leave, the scents of pancakes and hamburgers wash over her, and Jane shakes her head and follows after Loki. One day, she'll have to have him make amends to Izzy, somehow. Right now though, she has more immediate and personal concerns. And at least her money can't hurt, right?

Jane greets Izzy with a hug, and once again she lets Loki handle his own introduction ("Loki Lokisson" seems to be his current default), and a few moments later they are seated in a booth, looking at menus.

Jane gets nervous all over again. Thor had loved pancakes, eggs, and coffee, but he'd been mortal at the time, right? And let's face it, Loki seems a lot more upscale in his tastes than Thor is. Even Loki's clothes are really too highbrow for this diner, though Jane finds it utterly impossible to picture him in worn jeans and a tee-shirt.

_Not my problem_, Jane finally decides. She orders a coffee and the hamburger plate, and Loki faintly surprises her by ordering the exact same thing.

Turns out, Thor and Loki _do_ have at least one thing in common (besides falling for her) – they both take their coffee loaded with cream and sugar. Loki also enjoys the hamburger and fries, judging by how quickly they vanish. And he doesn't smash his mug on the floor before ordering a second. That's something, Jane supposes.

But the whole thing is also much more awkward than Jane expects. It's a little depressing to her to realize this is their first actual meal together. Up til now, their only activities together have been either kinky sex or sleeping (and, of course, running afoul of shadowy government agencies).

Jane sticks some fries into her mouth, wondering what the hell to talk about with Loki. She doesn't really want to ask him about what he told Fury, not with so many people around who could eavesdrop. But what else are they supposed to talk about? His favourite movie (yeah, like they have those in Asgard)? His favourite colour?

_His favourite way to kill people?_ The sarcastic little voice pipes up. _I think that might fall under 'hobbies'._

_Shut up,_ Jane growls at it. She scrabbles in her brain for something safe to ask him about. "So," she tries, leaning towards him and trying to keep her voice low, just in case people _are _listening. "Thanks for helping with my headache yesterday, but I'm kind of confused – didn't you say you couldn't heal other people?"

He half-smiles, taking a sip of coffee. "Alas, I spoke the truth before – I lack the ability to cure other's ills. I am afraid all I did was cloak your pain from your awareness."

Jane sits back, considering, though she still keeps her voice low. "It was only an illusion?"

He inclines his head towards her, as if to say: 'Aren't I awesome?'

Well, she supposes that if he can create a whole forest from nothing, masking the pain of a headache wouldn't be too difficult.

Another silence falls, and Jane fidgets. Loki sips his coffee, raising an eyebrow at her antics. "Yes, my dear?" he questions.

Jane bites her lip, finally deciding her best tactic is to be supportive. "I just wanted to say, if you ever wanted to talk about what happened to you – you know, all the bad stuff, and how it made you feel – I'm here to help." _Christ, awkward._

But Loki nods. "I know," he replies. He sips more coffee. And then says more nothing.

Jane resists the urge to roll her eyes at him. So much for opening the lines of communication.

The nagging little voice returns to take another dig at her_. Maybe you've got nothing to talk about because, I don't know, you have_ nothing in common? _Besides the need to have kinky sex, anyway?_

Jane doesn't bother to dignify that with a response.

Finally, she asks herself why is it up to _her_ to make conversation? He could try, couldn't he? Let Mr. _God _make an effort, too.

So Jane returns to her food, trying not to make her irritation with him too obvious. Loki polishes off the rest of his coffee in what seems like two gulps, then sits back in the booth and smirks at Jane. Uh-oh, Jane knows that _look_.

He leans forward then, his tone low and conspiratorial. "So tell me, my dear Jane, are there any particular fantasies of yours that you wish me to fulfill?"

Jane, in the midst of eating her cole slaw, blushes bright red and fumbles with her fork, _just _managing not to make it clatter on her plate. "Um, what?"

His smirk turns positively evil. "Do you need me to be more specific? Very well. Are there certain acts or scenarios you have always wanted a lover to do, to you or with you, that you wish to attempt with me?" Jane's pretty sure she can feel his fingertips very lightly caressing her inner thigh under the table.

_You see?_ The little voice points out triumphantly. _Kinky sex__. _Jane curses at the voice until it shuts the fuck up, and brushes Loki's fingers off her leg. "One-track mind, much?" she accuses him darkly.

Loki puts on his best 'innocent face', though Jane doesn't buy it for a second. "I want to please you," he says simply. "And I can best do that, by discovering what…games…you would most enjoy to play. I remind you again that I am, after all, a master of illusion and magic. There are few fantasies, no matter how improbable, that I would not be able to make reality. So to speak."

Despite her embarrassment, Jane finds herself intrigued. It's true, he could probably indulge pretty much any erotic scenario she could dream up. But this is not the place. Or even really the time. She has much more important things to attend to.

"Let me think about it," she mutters, pretending not to notice that Loki is smirking again. She takes one last bite of her burger, and decides she's had enough.

She pays for their meals – Loki looks on curiously, and Jane reflects that Loki's probably never had to actually _pay_ for anything in his life, lucky bastard. She chats briefly with Izzy about her new place, and discovers that Izzy may know someone willing to buy the trailer once Jane is ready to sell it. Finally, a stroke of luck!

Jane hugs Izzy goodbye fondly, and then leads Loki out. She pauses on the sidewalk outside, pondering her next move.

_The trailer. Time to face the music, and pack everything up?_

Yeah, nice idea, but once everything's packed up, what then? The new apartment has no damned _furniture_.

"Jane?" Loki prompts, obviously wondering what she's ruminating about.

"D'you mind if we go to the trailer? I need to figure some things out."

Loki shrugs. "I had no set plans to conquer Midgard today," he deadpans. Then he grins playfully as Jane gapes at him.

Finally she shakes her head and giggles. Loki and his unique sense of humour, she supposes. _God of Mischief, right?_

It's a familiar walk to the trailer, and Jane greets a few people she knows (fortunately, none of them ask her about her tall, dark male shadow – maybe they can't _see_ him?), but she has to admit that she's relieved to get to the trailer without running into Erik or Darcy.

The lab behind them is still dark and empty, and something about that makes Jane tense. She can understand there being no sign of Erik, under the circumstances, but Darcy being AWOL for so long? She wonders if SHIELD took Darcy in for questioning too.

Something else to weigh on Jane's conscience.

_Even if that's what's happened, I can't do anything about it._ And it's not like she's ready to ask Loki to look into it or do anything about it; that seems like a good way to piss off SHIELD, or scare the heck out of Darcy. Or both.

Besides, Darcy knows nothing, and in any case Jane is pretty sure Erik will stand up for Darcy if needed. Not to mention Thor would probably be pretty angry if Fury got it into his head to torture Darcy for information.

Loki teleports them back inside the trailer again, since Jane still can't do anything about SHIELD's damned padlock. Loki has managed to somehow switch back into his armour mid-teleport, she notices. Whatever. Jane does her best to ignore the mess, pushing things out of her way and digging herself a path to her kitchen table.

She rummages around until she finds a pencil and notepad, then plunks herself down. Loki is studying the chaos around them, scowling, but Jane pretends not to notice. She'd rather not fuel any animosity between him and SHIELD right now. She has enough problems to deal with.

_Furniture, furniture,_ she thinks, forcing herself back to practicalities. _OK, just the basics._ Enough so she can get out of this damned trailer, that's the priority.

She starts scrawling things on her notepad, Loki ambling over just as she finishes, and reading over her shoulder:

bed (and linens)

kitchen table and (4?) chairs

desk (and chair? Or use a kitchen one for now?)

couch

Loki reads it out loud, which Jane supposes answers her question as to whether he can understand written English.

"Can't move into my new apartment without a place to sleep, or to eat, or even just to sit down," she explains.

"Very well," Loki agrees. "Where can we commission the artisans to make such items?"

Jane stifles a giggle. IKEA is hardly…artisanal. Granted, she could probably get some good stuff at the local 'OK Furniture' store in town, but…who knows when the SHIELD money is going to dry up? She's gotten into the habit of pinching every penny so she'll have as much money free as possible to pay for new parts for lab equipment, and to make sure Darcy doesn't starve. If it ain't broke-

"We have stores which mass-produce furniture now," she informs him. "By machine? Nothing around here, though. We'll have to take my car to the store."

"Your what?"

Jane smiles. Cultural differences, indeed. "Easier to show you, I guess."

It takes them over twenty minutes to find the keys to the Pinzgauer in all the disorder, but since she manages to find the keys to the new apartment at the same time, at least it qualifies as multi-tasking.

Then she digs up some fresh clothes and changes, pretending to ignore Loki's sudden intense interest.

It's hard not to laugh at Loki when they try to get into the Pinz. Understandably, at first he tries to imitate her, attempting to slide into the car after her. On the _driver's _side.

Once that is worked out, he blinks in confusion as she tries to buckle him in. He's so obviously used to being in control, in command, but now he seems a bit lost, unsettled. He's so out of his element. So Jane hides her amusement, especially at how interested he seems in everything – the mirrors, the dials, the roar of the engine.

He bores quickly once they get going, however. Jane can't really blame him – the desert is a pretty uniform landscape to drive through.

"I should have magicked us to your 'store'," he grumbles at one point, a mere fifteen minutes into their drive.

Jane bites her lip. She wants to say that she doesn't want to be dependent on him or his magic, or to take his magic for granted, but she can just imagine what his response will be. Probably something along the lines of a mocking look and some variation of "I am a God."

So instead, she says: "I thought it would be nice to just….talk."

Loki glances over at her but says nothing.

That's when Jane realizes it's still over an-hour-and-fifteen-minute drive to the next outpost of civilization. And she had a hard enough time engaging him in conversation in the diner. Uh-oh…teleporting would have been faster. _Much_.

They need something to talk about. A _neutral _topic. Something that won't make him uncomfortable. And something that won't make _her_ uncomfortable (her sexual fantasies? Um, some other time, thanks).

"Can I make a deal with you?" she asks at last.

She doesn't need to look over, to know he's doing an eyebrow raise. "What manner of 'deal'?"

"I want to get to know you better," she explains. "So, I propose a trade. You tell me one thing about your childhood, and then I'll tell you one thing about mine. Then repeat til we get there."

Loki says nothing for a long moment, but finally, before Jane can really start second-guess herself, he agrees. Jane narrowly restrains the impulse to pump her fist in victory.

Jane pulls the Pinzgauer into the IKEA parking lot, allowing herself to feel a small measure of smugness. Though they hadn't avoided _all_ possible awkward silences, she finally felt like she was getting somewhere.

Even though most of what Loki had told her had been about Asgard, and not really anything deeply personal about himself.

He'd told her about the palace, and the Bifröst (Jane had been very tempted to really grill him about that, but had decided now was not the time), and the Asbru bridge. About the nebulas and star systems visible from the Realm Eternal.

He'd told her about long hours spent in the palace library, studying magic. About a few tricks he'd pulled once he'd gained certain magical skills.

Probably the most animated he'd been, was when he'd described a few pranks he'd played on Thor and the Warriors Three (and Sif).

Beyond that, though, he hadn't really talked at all about his personal relationships. What his interactions had been like with Odin, and Frigga, and Thor.

Unlike Jane, who had opened up to Loki about her father's death, about being estranged from her mother, and about the ridicule she'd faced while trying to prove her Foster Theory.

But it doesn't matter. He's _talking_, and that's progress.

Jane parks the car and leads Loki into the huge store.

Unsurprisingly, Loki is not impressed by IKEA. They get lost almost immediately in the enormous and poorly-designed showroom. "Surely the one who built this must be one of my worshippers, to have produced such an infernal labyrinth," Loki mutters, after having used his magic to reorient them for at least the fourth time. Jane stifles a giggle. "Tell me about it. Luckily furniture shopping isn't something I do that often."

But Loki's not done complaining. "Shoddy workmanship," he announces later with loud disdain, wrinkling his nose and flicking contemptuously at the edge of one of the desks. "Is this what the Norse have been reduced to?"

Jane glances around, but nobody seems to have heard Loki. Again, she has to wonder if anyone even sees him – certainly nobody seems to have noticed him walking around in his usual Asgardian regalia. Except Jane. Is he doing that just to mess with her mind?

"I'm not furnishing the White House," Jane retorts, deliberately ignoring his confused look. "I'm a scientist living on a fixed income, which has to pay for my living expenses and my research. _And_ my research assistant. So if it's a choice between lab equipment and ornate, luxury furniture, the lab wins every time." Although the SHIELD money _has_ made things easier, research is an expensive business.

"I have money. Of a sort," Loki points out, but Jane shakes her head.

"It's not your responsibility. And I can afford this. I don't even really want anything fancy, that's not my style. Function over fashion, OK?" She's never been one to let a boyfriend (assuming Loki even qualifies) buy things for her, and she's not starting now.

She walks off before Loki can argue further, but he only trails thoughtfully after her. It takes over another hour (or _feels _like it!), but soon Jane has written down the codes of everything she needs. Loki even offers to carry the bed linens without even grousing about it, which is something of a minor miracle as far as Jane is concerned.

Their almost-final destination is the flat-packed furniture area, and Jane stops about ten steps in, wondering whether Loki would consider it beneath his dignity to push a dolly full of boxed furniture.

Loki stops next to her and looks around the shelves in confusion. "These are the same items we saw earlier? I thought you Midgardians lacked the magic to shrink objects down in this fashion."

Jane looks around nervously, but as usual somehow nobody seems to be in earshot. "No, it's not done by magic; all the stuff is in pieces. Easier to transport, and for the store to, well, _store_. We grab the boxes we need, load them up in my car, and when we get back to my new place, we put it all together," she explains, trying not to wince at the thought of all the hours of work she (they? Will he help?) has ahead of her. Maybe she should order it all online and have it delivered? No, this way she'll have everything right away. She's had enough of hotel living and trashed trailers.

Predictably, Loki looks affronted. "Put it all together? What nonsense is _that_?"

Although Jane agrees entirely, there's not much else she can think of to do. "Believe me, _most_ furniture stores do that now. The only items that are assembled are the demos – the ones we saw in the store itself. Look, if you don't want to help me put everything together, I understand, it's fine." Although it probably _isn't_ fine – who exactly will help her then? Erik? Not likely. Darcy? Maybe, if Jane can find her.

If Darcy doesn't already hate her, too.

_Maybe Loki has some kind of magic spell that can help somehow?_

She hopes that's what he's about to suggest, but instead he frowns darkly and shakes his head. He takes her firmly by the elbow, and starts to lead her towards the cash register. Actually, it's just on the border of _dragging_ her.

"Loki!" Jane hisses, trying to backpedal, but given his reputation, she's reluctant to create a scene. She can just _imagine_ the resulting report on Fury's desk.

"Be at ease, my Jane. You may purchase your bedclothes, but I may have a more…_efficient_ way of dealing with your furnishings. Leave it to me."

Jane rolls her eyes at his imperious tone, still trying to tug her arm free. "Loki-"

"It will be dealt with, I told you. Therefore this discussion is ended."

Jane rolls her eyes again, but they're already at a cash register (where'd the line go?), so she buys the linens without further argument. The truth is, it's getting late and shopping always wears her out, and she has to admit that she's more than a little curious to see what Loki will do. _Probably something illegal and unethical,_ the little voice pipes up, but Jane decides to ignore it.

They settle into the Pinz, her stomach choosing that moment to growl loudly.

"Speaking of efficiency," Loki remarks, making a familiar gesture-

Jane's vision whites out. When it clears, they are parked next to her trailer. "Loki, uh, why did you-?"

He shrugs. "You are famished once more, are you not? Why waste time then?" Already getting used to the seatbelt mechanism and door, he unfastens himself and slips out of the car before Jane can answer.

Oh well, at least she saved on gas, Jane supposes.

Sadly, Puente Antiguo isn't exactly chock full of restaurants, and Jane figures visiting Isabelle's again is tempting fate. In the end, Loki takes them both back to their hotel, and they eat in the on-site restaurant. It's decent for hotel food, but Jane can feel her natural frugality trying to kick in. Like she told Loki already, she prefers to spend her money on her _work _wherever possible.

Even if the thought of sharing food she's made with a Norse _God_ is more than a little daunting! She doubts her offerings will measure up at all well against Asgardian _feasts_….

She more than half expects Loki to pounce on her the moment they get back to their hotel room, but he seems preoccupied with something. That's fine, she's got a big day of organizing, packing, and probably furniture-assembling to do tomorrow (she expects her _first_ task will probably be ordering all that stuff from IKEA, Loki's cryptic promises aside). The last thing she needs now is a three-hour sex-a-thon, tempting as it may be.

She falls asleep so fast, she'll wonder later whether he used some kind of spell on her.

Jane wakes to find Loki sitting in pretty much the same spot as yesterday morning, except this time he's grinning evilly at her.

She hasn't been stripped naked and bound to the bed in her sleep or anything, so Jane has to assume his glee has something to do with her furniture.

"You've been up to some mischief, I'm guessing," she remarks dryly, sitting up.

"I have indeed. Come with me and see." Still grinning, he holds a hand out to her. Jane takes it without thinking, remembering too late that she's dressed only in socks, a tee shirt, and panties.

In a flash (literally), they are standing in the middle of her new apartment. Jane blinks in confusion, as the living room space around them is now packed with furniture. All already assembled, and everything that was on her list.

When she takes a closer look, she realizes some of the items are slightly different in style and colour than what she picked out earlier, but the differences are so minor that she's not about to complain.

"You put all this stuff together?" Jane asks. She has a hard time seeing that, though – that _would_ be beneath his dignity, at a guess.

"No. These are the – what did you name them? – _demos_. A few of them were unacceptably worn or damaged, so I took the liberty of finding alternate items at other locations."

Then it sinks in. "You _stole_ them?" Jane turns to glare at him, hands on her hips. It just figures-

Loki huffs and crosses his arms, looking deeply insulted. "I most certainly did _not_. The compensation I left in exchange will more than cover such abysmal craftsmanship." He waves a hand and then extends it to her, dropping something into her palm.

It appears to be a gold coin, the uneven edges covered in tiny knotwork. There are symbols she can't decipher on it, though the largest symbol is of three overlapping triangles, which she vaguely remembers from one of her library books to be Odin's symbol.

"Let me get this straight – you took the demos, and left a pile of gold coins in their place," She says slowly, unbelieving.

He cocks his head at her, his eyebrows raising mockingly. "You would prefer that I _stole_ them after all?" He snarks, imitating her earlier offended tone.

Jane shakes her head – she hadn't intended to insult him again - and walks over to him. "No, no. Thank you," she twines her fingers in his hair (yes, much better without all the 'product') and pulls him down for a kiss, which seems to smooth things over between them.

After another teleport back to the hotel room to change into clean clothes, Jane asks Loki to take her back to the trailer. Behind them, the lab is _still _dark and empty, thank God. As much as she is wondering where Darcy is, Jane realizes she's not exactly _ready_ for Loki and Darcy to meet.

The locked door will only get in their way, she decides, and she plans to have the trailer emptied of all personal effects today anyway, so she asks Loki if he can break the padlock. He can, and easily.

Jane's first task is to locate all the boxes she had flattened and had (formerly, before the SHIELD 'reorganizing') squirreled away in various corners of the trailer. There's some other boxes at the lab too, assuming they haven't been taken as well by SHIELD, but Jane will leave that til the last possible moment. There's only so much mess she thinks she can handle right now.

Jane can sense Loki standing in the narrow entryway watching her, the door behind him left open to allow the stuffy trailer to air out a bit. By way of trying to encourage him to _help_ her, Jane thinks aloud: "I think I'll start by packing everything I probably won't need right away in boxes. Everything that I'll probably need sooner, _we_ can probably put into bags and open boxes…what's the capacity of your 'Interdimensional Closet'? The more things we can carry per trip, the faster it will go. Or could you teleport everything in one go, if we pile it all up together, or something-?"

She finally looks over at him, more than half-expecting some kind of snobby, haughty, a-Prince-of-Asgard-does-not-assist-mere-mortals-in -such-a-grubby-endeavour kind of look, but instead he actually looks…._guilty_?

"Loki? What is it?" she asks, worried.

He looks around the trailer, not meeting her gaze. "This is due to a _profound_ lapse in my judgment," he says quietly. "And I am truly sorry. I had not realized your fellow Midgardians would do this so quickly. I thought to spare you such an upheaval in your life again. So I most certainly will stay and help you rectify all this-"

"Me too," pipes up a familiar female voice from behind Loki.

He swings around, mildly startled, then moves aside so Darcy can climb in.

Jane isn't sure what to say to the other woman, but Darcy circumvents all that by hugging her. Jane gratefully clings to Darcy for a long moment, narrowly fighting back the tears. Loki's support is important, but Jane is realizing that she needs more than that. She needs her _friends_.

"Perhaps I should take my leave, be out of your way," Loki suggests, looking uncomfortable. "Once you have packed a significant amount, I can return and magick the items to your new abode."

Jane looks questioningly at Darcy. Jane feels safe with Loki, of course, but there's no reason to expect Darcy to feel the same. She had been at ground zero when the Destroyer attacked, too.

After a long tense moment, Darcy seems to come to a decision. She steps towards Loki, extending her hand. "Hi. I'm Darcy Lewis," she says.

Loki stares at her hand in confusion for long seconds, but then Darcy apparently remembers that Asgardian manners differ quite a bit from human ones. Smirking, she dips a small curtsey instead, which earns a small smile from Loki.

"And I am Loki….of Asgard," he says gravely, hesitating only slightly. He takes Darcy's hand and kisses it with the same ceremony Thor once accorded Jane. It feels like that all happened decades ago.

From that point, the three of them spend the next two hours trying to organize and pack everything without bumping constantly into each other, which is next to impossible. But it manages to go much faster than Jane expects, and it's a little depressing to realize just how little stuff she actually _owns_. Well, that's not true – she's got a lot of stuff, but most of it is in storage in a locker on the other side of Puente Antiguo.

At the end of the first hour, they have a small pile going, though it's unwisely stacked right in the trailer entryway. Jane decides that now might give her a good opportunity to talk to Darcy alone. Not that Jane isn't intensely grateful for Darcy's help, and her apparent acceptance of Loki, but Jane has to wonder – _why_?

So she pulls Loki aside – or as far aside as she can, in such a tiny space. "D'you mind teleporting these boxes to the new place? And-" she lets her voice drop to the quietest murmur she can manage, "-take your time about getting back? I'd like to talk to Darcy for a couple minutes."

He nods and doesn't ask why. Perhaps he's as curious as Jane is? "When you are ready for me to return, merely call my name."

He glances over Jane's shoulder at Darcy, then leans down and brushes his lips gently over Jane's. The trailer fills with light, and then Loki and the boxes are gone.

"Whoa, cool," Darcy enthuses, rubbing the spots out of her eyes. "_Neat_ trick. Any chance we can convince Tall, Dark and Asgardian to help _me_ move, when the time comes?"

Jane smiles distractedly, "I'm sure that can be arranged," she says. She fidgets for a moment, then decides to jump right in. "Darcy, can I ask why you seem so….OK with this? I don't know how much you know, but Erik is pretty understandably pissed with me right now. SHIELD isn't too happy either-"

"I still haven't forgiven SHIELD for stealing my iPod back in the day," Darcy says, smirking a little. "But actually Jane, I _do_ know most of the story."

"SHIELD told you everything?" Jane asks. That doesn't sound like them.

"Not exactly. When I came in for work the other day I found them messing up this place, and they were also clearing out the lab, just like the first time," Darcy pauses, as if remembering how traumatized Jane had been the first time. "Sorry," Darcy adds.

Jane squeezes her eyes shut. She'd figured they'd taken everything – again – but somehow hearing it confirmed just leaves her stomach in knots.

"But anyway, Erik was there to make sure they didn't break any of the lab equipment, and he pulled me aside and gave me the whole story."

Jane opens her eyes again. "Did he tell you what Loki and Fury talked about?"

"Not blow-by-blow, but the main points, yeah. Coulson being alive still, and Loki claiming to have done all this to save the universe or something. Erik was practically foaming at the mouth over the whole fail-safe thing."

"Then, I really don't get why you're here," Jane said, hesitantly.

"Well," Darcy shrugged, "for one thing, SHIELD brought all the lab equipment and data back last night. It's all jumbled up, of course, but it's all there. I don't think they'd do that if they thought Mr. Mischief was a threat."

Jane let out a breath she hadn't even been conscious of holding.

"And Erik also let it slip that Thor was here a little while ago on Earth, but then he left. WithoutLoki. Actually, Erik was practically ranting and raving about it," Darcy shakes her head. "He seemed pretty put out that Thor didn't drag Loki's ass straight back to Asgard. But anyway, I figure if Thor felt OK about leaving Loki here – especially considering Mr. Mischief is, um, dating his _ex_ – well, seems to me that if you're crazy for being involved with Loki, then Thor's drunk the same Kool-Aid."

"But really," Darcy continues, "the main thing is, and don't take this the wrong way, Jane, but you're a _crappy_ liar. If this Norse dude was hurting you, or had frightened you into doing whatever it is he wanted, you wouldn't be able to hide that from _anyone_."

Jane can't help smiling. "I told Fury. But he and Erik think Loki is controlling my mind."

Darcy scoffs. "_Bullshit_. I don't buy Thor ever letting that happen. He'd beat the daylight out of Loki first. Fuck no. Besides, I heard Loki apologize for all this with my own ears. Why would he bother, if you were his slave?"

"Maybe he did that for your benefit," Jane says, unable to stop herself from playing devil's advocate.

"Right, like I have that much influence with _anyone_." Darcy cocks her head and studies Jane, going quiet for a moment. "But you want to know the real truth, Jane? For as long as I've known you, you've been fighting for your Einstein Bridge. Even when we couldn't get funding, even when everybody else who calls themselves an academic laughed at you, you kept going. And you know what? Fuck them all, you were _right_."

"And now it's the same thing," Jane guesses.

"The way I see it, the score so far is Jane: 1, scientific community: zip. And you know what? I'm willing to put money on Jane: 1, Loki-haters: 0. So if you see something in this Norse god-or-alien-or-whatever worth sticking with, then I'm going to support you." Then she grins. "At least until he starts being a dick to you. Then all bets are off. And I volunteer to spring for the first round of Ben and Jerry's."

Jane smiles, nearly going limp with relief. On impulse, she gets up and hugs Darcy again. "Sounds fair to me."

"Good," Darcy says with finality. She shoots a critical eye around the trailer. "I think we're gonna need more boxes. Want me to go grab some from the lab?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I'm not sure I can handle seeing the mess SHIELD left right now," Jane apologizes.

"No problemo," Darcy replies. "That's why you pay me the big bucks, right?" she adds with her customary snark. "I do have one question, though," she says, looking back over her shoulder at Jane as she heads toward the trailer door.

"Only one?" Jane asks indulgently.

"Yeah. Does he _always_ wear his armour?"

Jane laughs loud and long. Oh God, she needed that. "Yeah, pretty much."

Darcy chuckles. "I won't ask if he wears it to bed."

"Please don't," Jane agrees, still smiling.

Jane waits until Darcy is inside the lab, then calls for Loki.

He reappears instantly in front of her. "All is well?" he asks quietly, lifting a hand to cup her cheek in a surprisingly tender gesture.

But it doesn't surprise her enough to stop the now inevitable doubts – could he have spied on them? It would be all too easy for someone with his abilities.

_I have to stop doing this to myself. Even if he was spying, so _what? "Yes, everything's fine." Jane nods and puts her arms around him, resting her head against his chest.

"I was unsure where to place your items, so I left them in the largest room of your new abode for now," he says. That would probably be the living room.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it. I think we'll be done here in a couple of hours, at most," Jane says, breaking the hug as Darcy re-enters the trailer, flattened boxes tucked under each arm.

Jane's prediction is only off by about an hour. Yeah, that's how little stuff she actually has.

The only really awkward moment is when Loki finds the vibrator Jane _had_ hidden under her mattress – why the fuck SHIELD had chosen to chuck the damned thing into a kitchen drawer was beyond Jane – and asks what it is.

Jane feels her face go utterly scarlet, and Darcy smirks knowingly. "That? That would be the single girl's _best_ friend," Darcy informs him slyly, winking at Jane. Not quite daring to meet either of their eyes, and still blushing, Jane takes the toy and tosses it into the box of linens from the trailer's bed.

Thankfully, that's the only drama. Neither Erik nor SHIELD turn up, much to Jane's relief, and soon the final pile of boxes is assembled and the trailer door secured again somehow by Loki's magic.

Darcy gleefully turns to Loki. "'Beam us up!'"

He looks confused but he doesn't ask for clarification. Jane figures he's getting used to Darcy making cultural references that are alien to him, pun intended. Darcy stumbles a bit when they 'arrive', and Jane realizes _she'_s making adjustments, too – she's gotten used to the brief sense of dislocation that Loki's teleportation spell seems to cause.

Darcy waves off Jane's attempt to steady her. "That is freakin' _cool_," Darcy enthuses to Loki, who looks even more befuddled now. "'Cool'?" he asks.

"She means she thinks teleporting is an amazing skill of yours," Jane supplies absentmindedly, looking around critically. The living room is filled to almost-bursting with furniture and boxes. She checks her watch. _6:13pm, hm_. "Any chance I can convince the two of you to stick around a little bit longer and help me organize this place? Just enough to make it livable for tonight? I was going to spring for beer and pizza anyway, of course, but if you don't mind eating a bit late, I think I'd feel better if we get everything organized first."

"Yeah sure," Darcy answers brightly, then she looks over at Loki. "Um, do gods even _do_ beer and pizza?"

"I should think I would be required to know what those _are_, first," Loki points out dryly, smirking at both of them.

"Beer is a type of alcoholic beverage, and pizza is a…flat bread with meat, cheese and vegetables as toppings," Jane explains.

"Dude, we _so _need to get you caught up on Earth culture," Darcy observes.

Loki tips her a little bow. "I am your humble student, my ladies," he says, the smirk deepening.

Jane rolls her eyes and gives him a smirk back, "Riiiiiight. You, _humble_?"

Loki winks salaciously at her.

It actually doesn't take that long at all to get the place into a halfway decent state. Loki's magic once again proves itself useful, this time in moving furniture into place. All the boxes of stuff that Jane doesn't need right away are unceremoniously shoved out of the way in various corners, but even then, she has so much more space than she did in the trailer, that it's almost laughable.

_How the hell did I manage to live in that tin can for so long?_ She wonders. She'll have to remember to call Izzy to see about the potential buyer.

It's actually closer to 7:45pm when they finally get to sit down and eat. Darcy had already taken care of the beer run by then (two six-packs, she'd insisted, 'Just in case Loki drinks like a fish'), and Jane managed to remember to call for pizza _before_ the last minute – her usual mistake. Remembering what Thor's appetite had been like, Jane ordered two extra large pizzas, one all-dressed and one vegetarian.

Loki does indeed manage to eat nearly half of each one by himself. But he's earned it, Jane figures. At least his appetite isn't nearly as gluttonous as Thor's had been. Otherwise, Jane thinks she might have to ask him for some of his gold to pay for grocery expenses!

Despite Loki's appetite, he grimaces at the taste of the beer and lets Jane and Darcy know that Asgardian mead is 'far superior'….though Jane notices that doesn't stop him from polishing off the last four bottles all by himself. Not that they appear to have any discernible effect on him that Jane can see. Jane and Darcy are already tipsy after two beers each, and Jane figures that's a good place for her to stop imbibing.

Darcy, with her usual lack of shyness (and probably also fueled by the beer), grills Loki mercilessly about Asgard, and Asgardian food and drink, and what they do for entertainment ('I don't think I'd last long in Asgard without my iPod and HBO,' Darcy muses at one point). Even though most of it is the exact same things he told Jane earlier in the day in the car, if Loki is impatient with the repetition he hides it well.

By 10:30pm, Darcy is ready to call it a night, but Jane manages to talk her into helping make the new bed. Loki looks on curiously, obviously not familiar with such a domestic task.

Darcy is a little too tipsy for Jane's liking, so even though Darcy doesn't have far to walk, Jane calls her a cab.

"Thank you again, Darcy," Jane says, hugging the other woman. "For everything," Jane adds. Darcy smiles, and Jane is sure she knows what Jane's referring to.

"Say," Darcy suddenly exclaims, "I wanted to get you a housewarming gift, but I wasn't sure what you needed, how much stuff you're going to pull out of storage and all that. So think about it and let me know, OK?"

"Don't worry about it. You helped me move, right?" Jane assures her.

Darcy snorts and waves a dismissive hand. "The beer and pizza covered that. I think it's a municipal law, or something. I'll check in about the housewarming thing later, okay?" She leans to look past Jane. "Bye, Loki!"

Darcy goes to meet the cab, and Jane closes and locks the door behind her. She turns and Loki is standing in the middle of the living room, looking bemused again. "'Housewarming gift'? Is this climate not sufficiently warm already?"

Jane shakes her head and smiles. "It's just a little gift you traditionally give someone when they move into a new place. It doesn't actually have anything to do with 'warming', I guess. It probably did at one point, but not anymore. Expressions are funny like that." She shrugs.

"Ah," Loki says. He sweeps the apartment with an assessing gaze, then languidly drapes himself over Jane's new couch. Jane has to stifle a giggle at how ridiculous he looks, all leather and metal and sharp edges, lying so casually across the dark blue IKEA sofa.

Smiling, Jane walks towards him, weaving a little bit. She finds herself climbing on top of him. Maybe the beer is making her bold? She's not usually this forward.

"Thank you again for all your help, Loki," she says warmly. "I couldn't have moved all this stuff so quickly, or gotten the place set up so fast, without it."

"You are most welcome. Perhaps you should consider plying me with further rewards," he suggests, openly eyeing her torso. "Considering that your 'beer' is rather substandard," he adds.

Jane smirks, spreading her hands across his armoured chest. A sudden impulse grips her; she considers it payback for him putting down her favourite brand of beer.

She leans down as if to kiss him on the lips, but then turns her head at the last second, kissing up along the side of his jaw instead. She continues to kiss along his cheek towards his ear as his hands fist in her shirt. She brushes her lips against his earlobe, then she leans back up and pulls the tee shirt up over her head, settling herself with her knees planted on either side of his ribs.

"Better," he rasps, leering up at her and tracing a finger along the neckline of her bra.

"More?" she asks teasingly. Smirking down at him, she takes the bra off too, then leans down over his face, offering a breast to him. Again though, she evades his mouth, and lifts herself back and out of the way, smiling down at him.

She does it again, and a low growl rumbles in his broad chest. "Minx," he says, his eyes narrowing. "Do you not think it unwise to tease a _god_?"

Jane widens her eyes innocently at him. "Tease you? Me?" She leans down again, Loki raising his head to meet her nipple…but then she backs off again before he can touch her.

He outright _snarls_, moving so fast that he has her wrists are pinned together behind her back, her body pushed forward so her chest is arched over him, and her face pressed into the soft padded armrest of the couch before she even knows what hit her.

He chuckles and the sound is pure sin. His teeth catch roughly at one nipple and Jane gasps, her head swimming. She squeezes her thighs together around his torso, heat unspooling in her belly as he takes the abused nipple deep in his mouth, sucking hard on it. She groans helplessly, pressing her face into the cloth underneath her, enjoying every second.

Being overpowered _is_ one of her kinks, after all.

Teeth scrape across her other nipple, and then he suckles on that one too, pushing his hips up hard against hers.

Then he releases her, although, her brain fogged by sensation, it takes Jane a half-second to realize she's free.

She scrambles off the couch, and Loki sits up, frowning ominously as he reaches for her arm and she dodges him. She grins playfully at him. "You want a 'reward'? Come and get it, big boy." Part of her can't believe she's taunting him like this. It really _must_ be the beer.

His answering smile is somehow amused and dangerous at the same time. "I must warn you, Jane, I am always the victor in such games." He makes another grab at her, lazier this time, which she easily evades again.

She leads him in a long, messy circle around the living area, backing up and dodging whenever he rushes at her. Most of the time, though, he trails after her unhurriedly, slowly removing bits of his armour and dropping them on the floor as he goes. It's obvious he could catch her easily whenever he wants to, but he's enjoying the chase as much as she is.

By the time she reaches the bedroom, they're both laughing. She backs towards the bed, but she's still several meters from it when Loki, stripped down to shirt, leather pants, and boots, finally decides to pounce. Jane finds herself grabbed and tossed effortlessly onto the bed, and he's on top her by the end of her first bounce.

Still, giggling, she tries to evade him as long as she can, twisting her head to avoid his kiss until he rumbles and wraps his hand around her jaw, holding her still and kissing her hard, invading her mouth with a rough, slippery tongue. His kiss tastes of beer and metal.

He breaks the kiss as rudely as he took it, but then his gaze turns smoky as his thumb traces lightly over her parted lips, once, then slowly back along her lower lip in the opposite direction. Jane draws a shuddering breath, then smiles and tries uselessly to push him off of her. It's like trying to move an elephant. With a _feather_.

He bares his teeth at her ferally, then catches her chin in his hand, forcing her to tilt her head up. The rough kisses continue down her throat, teeth pricking her skin, and Jane can't help gasping, squirming, loving it. He presses her hands to the mattress, his weight pinning her down. He shifts up again, lips ghosting across her ear. "You love feeling contained by my strength, being made to submit to the pleasure I am giving you. Do you not, little one?"

Jane blushes and smiles, but doesn't answer. Some things, while true, are not so easy for her to verbalize.

"Refusing to speak? No matter. I have other ways of discovering the truth. Your body will tell me all I require to know."

He presses harder on her hands for just a moment, and then releases his grip, then his body slips down hers as he palms her bare breast instead. Jane moans and arches into his fingers as he pinches her nipple firmly, reflexively trying to raise her arms so she can tangle her fingers in his (much-less-gelled) hair….but she can't get her arms up off the mattress. They're pinned down by some invisible force, and Loki laughs soft and wicked, as he sees the comprehension dawn in her eyes.

"You cannot escape me, but you do not want to. I know you crave subjugation, my Jane," he whispers, smirking menacingly. "You are mine, to tease and toy with, whether you will acknowledge it with your words or not."

She smirks right back as he sits up. She twists and turns her hips, trying to slow his attempts to strip off her jeans and socks. It's completely and utterly useless, of course, but it's too much fun not to try. For all Loki's attempts to create an aura of threat, there's a playful edge too.

When she's naked except for her panties, he pins her ankles hard to the mattress, and Jane's not surprised to find them immobilized after his hands let go of her. He continues to grin down at her as he strips off a few more items of clothing himself, his shirt and boots tossed carelessly aside. He's clearly amused by her fruitless squirming.

He lays down beside her then, leaning to loom over her, his hair brushing against her face. She feels his knuckles rub lightly against the crotch of her underwear, and she tries to arch into his touch, biting her lip, but she can't move.

His laugh rasps in her ear as he strokes her lightly a few more times, and then he pushes the damp fabric aside, eyes locked with Jane's. She has to bite back another gasp as his fingers trace the edges of her folds, finding her slick and aching. "You're _dripping_, my dear," he chuckles. "You adore this. Your mouth may be silent on that fact, but _these_ 'lips' will always betray you to me."

He leans to her ear again, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "Does it excite you, my Jane, knowing I could so easily _break_ you, but choose not to?" Despite the threat inherent in his words, his fingers ease gently into her.

Jane's hips try to buck. Her clit aches, begging to be touched, and Jane moans and tries again, uselessly, to move. "Now who's being a tease?" she growls.

He laughs demonically. His movements are languid, his fingers moving in slow circles inside her, pressing against her walls as if he's washing a glass…not that he's ever done something so mundane in his life, Jane's sure. "_Loki_," she protests.

"Am I not pleasing you, little vixen? Perhaps your Midgardian toy can assist me, then." He makes a sharp movement with his free hand, and Jane's vibrator appears in it. _What the- I thought I hid that-_

Yeah, like she'd ever be able to hide anything from _him_. She'd _known_ she was in trouble the moment he spotted it-

He removes his fingers slowly from her, putting them to his lips and sucking them clean with an enthusiasm that makes Jane blush hotly all the way from her chest to her cheeks. He then turns the hard plastic vibrator over – the floral pattern on it has never struck her as more ridiculous than it does right now - studying it. Maybe Jane'll be lucky and the batteries will be dead, it's not like she's been _using_ it lately-

But no, it hums to life once Loki figures out to twist the dial at the bottom, and he experiments for a few seconds, trying out different speeds before the diabolical look returns to his handsome face and he bends over her again.

He starts at her throat, pressing the toy lightly into the hollow at its base, and Jane shivers, clenching her fists. He traces the buzzing tip along each collarbone, and then slowly downward, dragging lightly along her skin, until he reaches her left nipple, watching every muscle that twitches along the way.

Jane's breath hitches in her throat as he circles the hardened pink tip slowly with the toy, around and around. "You're _evil_," she grits out, without thinking.

Another soft laugh from him. "So I am. And yet, still you are here, little one. Perhaps my 'evil' is exactly what you yearn for. Shall we test that?"

Finally, he presses the toy right against her nipple. Her skin tingles and prickles, and Jane throws her head back, moaning deep in her throat. He repeats the action with her other nipple, then works his way gradually downward, sometimes kissing and licking as he follows the path of the vibrator. When he reaches the top of her mound, the immoral look he gives her raises goosebumps on her body.

The toy nudges just inside her, her fluids wetting it, but Loki pulls it out again right away, a shark-like grin on his face as he dials up the speed to nearly maximum, and presses the toy firmly against her clit.

A totally undignified squeal rips out of Jane's throat, followed by several other noises as Loki moves the toy in tiny circles. The sensations are intense and just on the edge of becoming unbearable.

He's outright ruthless, holding the vibrator right on her clit until Jane's entire body is sheened with sweat, until her muscles ache from straining against the invisible force pinning her in place, until her breaths are nearly sobbing in her throat. Only then does he take pity on her, removing the vibrator and turning it off, then leaning down to soothe her overtaxed nerves with his mouth, suckling gently on her nub, pressing his tongue softly against it.

Tender lips graze over her folds, his tongue now pressing inside her and then gliding gently up to her clit, over and over, but he's not gentle for long.

As soon as Jane calms, a buzzing sound fills the air again, as he dials her vibrator up to max and pushes the toy deep inside her. Jane tenses against her bonds again, gasping loudly, but somehow she still manages to hear his low-voiced command over the rushing in her ears. "Don't come yet, my Jane," he warns her. "I am not done with you yet."

She tries not to, she really does, but he knows her body too well, the bastard. He's thrusting the toy in and out at a rapid pace, and working her throbbing clit over expertly, and Jane is too overwhelmed, she can't stop her orgasm. She could sooner hold back a tsunami with her bare hands. Whimpering, she goes over the edge.

Loki makes a tsking sound, turning the toy off and easing it out of her. "Did I not tell you not to climax yet? No doubt it is that vile Midgardian ale that is affecting your control so."

His magic releases her, but it doesn't change much; Jane's muscles just refuse to come online. She can't offer even token resistance, as Loki turns her over onto her belly, then pulls her up on her knees.

But he's not done. He guides her knees wide apart to steady her, then pulls her hands back and to the side. It's almost as if he's tying her wrists to the bedposts at the foot of the bed, but once again there's no actual physical binding, just his magic holding her in place.

It's a very vulnerable position he has her in. She's all too conscious of her breasts dangling and her ass in the air. There's no question in her mind what he'll do with her next; this is a _fuck-me_ position if ever there was one.

She turns her head, looking over her shoulder at him. Loki grins darkly down at her, stripping off his pants at last. He's so aroused, his freed length is nearly purple, and Jane is not shocked at all when he pulls his conjuring trick again without delay, plucking a condom packet from the air and applying it to himself.

Loki climbs back onto the bed, positioning himself behind her. He grasps her hips, his hands so hot she feels like they're branding her skin, and Jane braces herself, expecting a raw animal onslaught, but his initial thrust is slow and sensual. Trust him to do the unexpected.

His fingers dig into her hips almost hard enough to bruise, but he keeps to the same slow, gliding pace. When he reaches around her with both hands, tugging her nipples, Jane's breath hitches in her throat, and she tries to push back against him, trying to get him to pick up the pace, but her efforts are only rewarded by the expected dark laughter.

She squeezes her eyes shut as his hands roam over her body, fondling and teasing, and he _still_ doesn't pick up the pace. She's on the verge of begging him, and he probably knows it. Then Jane's eyes snap open as he spanks her, hard.

She gasps, but the blow doesn't really register as pain. The initial jagged sensation fades quickly, turning to heat that seems to radiate into her whole body, starting from where their bodies are joined.

He gradually settles into a new rhythm – slow thrust, hard spank on one cheek of her ass, slow thrust, hard spank on the other cheek – inexorably picking up the pace. Jane's head hangs down, her hips trying to jerk forward at each blow, then trying to push back to meet him stroke for stroke, her nails somehow digging into the magical ropes that bind her.

Her whole body is on _fire_, sweat dripping down her sides. Her muscles are starting to spasm, to tighten around him, and if she doesn't come soon, she might just black out-

"Now," he hisses, "you may come for me." He punctuates the command with a quick, rough rub of fingertips across her throbbing clit, and Jane screams, the sound mindless and almost inhuman as her climax explodes through her, _erases_ her.

She comes to slowly, aware that her limbs are free, and that Loki has turned her over onto her back. She can feel his hands on her, caressing her gently, slowly coaxing her to return to him. She opens her eyes at last and he smiles down at her. "Back at last, love?" he asks. He starts moving, and Jane realizes he's still deep inside her.

He leans down, bracing his forearms on either side of her head, and kisses her deeply as their bodies continue the familiar push-pull. Maybe it's still the remnants of the beer, or maybe it's payback for all of his little tricks today, but another evil impulse of her own drives Jane to stretch her arm downwards, reaching around under her own thigh. She searches until her fingers stroke across Loki's balls, and his rhythm stutters for a moment, his eyes locking with hers.

She smirks up at him, cupping her hand around him and gently squeezing and stroking, and he leers right back. "As I've said before – _Minx_," he opines. And smothers her retort with his lips.

A few hard snaps of his hips into her, and he groans against her throat, emptying himself. He collapses, his weight pressing her down, and Jane wraps her arms around his shoulders, dragging light fingertips over his slick skin. She waits patiently for him to recover, relishing the feel of him pinning her down.

He finally rolls off to her side. "Well, I can think of worse ways to break in a new bed," Jane laughs.

His eyebrows raise. "'Break the bed'? Did we?"

Jane chuckles and shakes her head. "No, and that's a good thing! I've had enough of furniture shopping for a while." She's fading fast, so she urges Loki off the bed so she can pull back the covers.

He tucks her into the circle of his arms, his heartbeat thudding under her ear, and Jane falls asleep to its steady thrum, not aware of Loki staring thoughtfully up at her stucco ceiling.

Jane's not surprised to wake alone in the bed. But Loki hasn't gone far; she finds him on the couch, flipping through one of her well-worn undergraduate astrophysics textbooks.

He sets it aside as she walks up to him, reaching for her hand. "Come with me," he says, his expression unreadable.

_Now what?_ Jane wonders. Despite how much closer she feels to him lately, she still feels a little nervous whenever she can't figure out what he has planned. _I suppose that's part and parcel of dating a God of Mischief._

But he doesn't teleport them or cast a spell or do anything arcane. Instead, he leads her into the bathroom, fumbling with the light switch. He turns her to face the mirror, and Jane winces inside at how she looks – bedhead is _not _a good look on her. Loki has still not gone back to slathering on the hair-gel, and Jane has to fight an urge to turn, reach up, and run her hands through it.

Then again, maybe coaxing Loki back into bed with her is a good idea. It's not like she has any particular plans today, and she's not exactly looking forward to tackling the chaos that is the lab.

Loki's hand cups her neck, interrupting her thought processes, his eyes intent on her face in the mirror. Jane starts as something warm glides from his hand, moving across her throat. It's one of his snakes, this time a thin one covered in tiny gold, black, and dark green scales. His snake released, Loki's hand shifts onto her shoulder, both of them watching now as the snake wraps itself loosely around her neck, once, and then bites down on its own tail.

A bright green flash dazzles Jane's eyes, and by the time she's blinked the coloured spots away, the live snake has turned itself into a necklace. The eyes are two tiny emeralds, the gold scales turned to metal, and the black and green scales to something that looks like coloured enamel.

"Do you like it?" Loki asks, as Jane reaches up to touch the necklace. It feels warm to the touch, and the tiny scales are smooth under her fingers.

He sounds apprehensive, so Jane is quick to turn and hug him. "It's so beautiful, thank you."

"Its beauty is the merest shadow, compared to that of the one who wears it," Loki says, and Jane snorts and rolls her eyes, blushing. She's not _bad_ looking, OK, but…'beautiful'? Yeah, _right_.

"Thank you, Mr. Silver Tongue," she can't help quipping. But then her brow furrows. "What's the occasion though?"

"My 'housewarming' gift to you, Jane Foster," he intones gravely, and Jane has to suppress a giggle. He's taking this whole thing _way_ too seriously.

He turns her to face the mirror again, his gaze searing into hers. "Let all who see this know that you are mine, and under my protection," he continues.

Jane swallows hard at the intensity of his gaze, a little uncomfortable now. She has no clue what to say in answer to Loki's pronouncement. She's used to fending for herself, has been doing so almost her whole life.

Relief floods through her as her cell phone chimes. Saved by the bell. "Excuse me, please." She scoops her phone up off of one of the boxes serving as a coffee table right now. "Hello?"

"Doctor Foster," Director Fury's faintly disapproving voice greets her. _Great,_ Jane thinks. _Out of the frying pan-_

"I realize we may not exactly be your favourite people right now, but I imagine you still may have some interest in seeing the Stark-Foster project move forward?"

Jane glances over at Loki, tension coiling in her stomach. "Um, yes. Yes, very much." She wonders if this is some kind of carrot Fury is dangling, to keep her in the fold. _It's going to work, too._ This is her life's work, after all.

"Tony Stark will be at Base 10-594 – the one you were, uh, _visiting_ earlier – later this afternoon. He said he wants to meet with you to discuss the project." Fury pauses, then grudgingly adds: "Sorry for the late notice, Doctor, but Stark can be…impulsive. In fact, I would say he has something of a short attention span, so I would strongly suggest that you drop any plans you might have had today and get out here quickly, before he gets distracted by something shiny."

"Yes, OK, I can be there."

Fury pauses for a long moment, then adds: "And you might also strongly consider leaving your Norse God at home. He and Stark have a…history."

"No problem, I'll drive myself," Jane agrees, glancing over at Loki again. His expression could best be described as 'guarded'.

"His CEO told us that he'll be here at 3:30pm, but I suggest that _you_ be here 2:30pm, and be prepared to wait. As I said, he's impulsive," Fury adds dryly. "I'll send the directions to the base to your phone," he adds, then hangs up abruptly.

Jane pulls the cell away and blinks at it. _It's happening,_ she realizes. Years of struggling, and maybe now, _finally_-

Loki clears his throat, his face now blank and unreadable, and Jane snaps out of her reverie. How much should she tell him?

It only takes her a few seconds to decide. _Everything,_ because a) she's a crappy liar, and b) if she wants him to be open with her, she can hardly go the hypocritical route, can she?

"That was Fury. Tony Stark wants to meet with me this afternoon, to discuss doing a joint project. To build my Eins- my Rainbow Bridge." she amends. Loki doesn't know Einstein from, well, anybody.

For a moment Loki just stands there, and the thought occurs to Jane that he's never looked more out of place, but then he smiles, wide enough to show dimples. "I am glad to see your fellow mortals are finally taking you seriously," he tells her. "If there is anyone who can open the doors to the Nine Realms from Midgard, it would be you."

Jane walks over and hugs him gratefully, but the tension won't leave her belly. What if Stark meets her and hates her? What if he doesn't know about Loki, and once he finds out, he refuses to help?

Would Fury have left that little detail out, though? Jane doubts it.

One more awkward thing to take care of, though. "I, um, I mean, I should probably go by myself. Fury says you and Stark, well, don't get along?" Jane stammers.

But Loki only shrugs. "I do not require you to be by my side every hour of every day. Unless you request such of me." He smirks down at her.

Jane shakes her head. "Always the one-track mind," she chides him playfully.

She'd better have all her wits about her for this meeting, so Jane wanders over to the kitchen for some 'fuel'. She starts to think about what notes she might need to take with her – assuming she can find them in the mess that is her lab right now! – and reminding herself to check Fury's directions soon, so that she can plan when to leave.

She's halfway into the kitchen before she remembers – no food except cold pizza, and she can't remember which box her coffee-maker wound up in. Ugh, she hates cold pizza. And there's no way she's facing the legendary Tony Stark without caffeine in her system.

_Well, we do still have the morning. And as long as I have a God at my disposal…_

She turns to find Loki standing in the doorway. "Any chance I can convince you to go grocery shopping with me, after another run to Isabelle's diner?"

His slow smirk is entirely predictable. "I am indeed certain I can be 'convinced'."

_So there _are_ advantages to dating the God of Mischief. _Jane thinks, leaning up to kiss him._ Who knew?_


	11. Hot and Cold

**Hot and Cold**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: April 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Alternate shower scene for the second chapter of The God Who Cried Wolf (A Light in the Dark series)**

**Disclaimer: Somehow I don't think Marvel ever gets **_**this **_**dirty.**

**Author's Note: Written for canyr12's birthday. Although n****ot only for that; this is a small token of my appreciation for all the help she has given me in writing the Light in the Dark series – particularly the whole 'Long Con' aspect, as we have come to call it. ;) **

**In any case, she would have preferred the shower scene in God Who Cried Wolf to have involved some sex, so….here you are, hon! ;)**

…lust coils hotly in her belly, but when Jane nearly slips on the wet surface beneath her, she decides this really isn't the best place for this. "Let me just wash my hair, and then let's move somewhere where I'm less likely to break my leg," she suggests, and Loki nods and moves back, letting her step under the spray and rinse herself.

Moments later, however, he seems to change his mind. Jane gasps as she is grabbed and yanked back against him without warning, his erection grinding against her.

"You have no cause for fear, little one. I will not allow you to fall." An evil chuckle sounds in her ear.

Loki reaches around her, pressing her hands together, a thin green snake uncoiling from the air and wriggling around, binding her wrists. "_Now_ what are you up to?" she asks a little breathlessly, but all she gets is that sinister chuckle in reply. Figures.

The snake shapeshifts into a green rope, and Loki takes the free end, tugging forwards and upwards until Jane is standing under the shower's spray again, her arms raised over her head. She expects him to loop the end around the showerhead itself, but instead the rope attaches itself to the ceiling somehow, similar to the very first time she submitted to him. How long ago that seems now, even though it really isn't.

Jane has to keep her head way back to keep the water out of her face, but the waterflow dies down suddenly to a mere dribble, the temperature cooling significantly. It runs down her neck, trickling, _tickling_, hardening her nipples and bringing goosebumps to her skin as the chilled droplets race down breast, belly and thighs.

Warm hands slip up her sides, massaging the coolness of the water away, his face pressing into the side of her neck. Teeth graze against her skin, scraping against her neck and shoulder. Jane groans, too tired to even begin to make an attempt at modesty, when his fingers find her nipples and start to gently roll and tug on them.

She feels the water get just a _little_ colder, teasing at her nerves as she closes her eyes. Her exhausted brain can barely process everything – the icy tickle of the water, the warmth of Loki's hands and body. Despite what he told Fury, it seems like there's _plenty_ of the trickster left in him, at least when it comes to this. Lucky her.

He takes her chin gently in his hand and turns her face to kiss her deeply, his tongue surprisingly cool – was he drinking the water while she was otherwise distracted? – and then he turns her to face him, her bonds adjusting easily.

The water warms slightly, now running its tickling path down her shoulders and back, and between the cheeks of her ass. Loki eyes her speculatively up and down, smirking in that familiar way as he plots his next wicked moves. He'd better not make her wait too long, or he's going to get an earful, especially after everything he's put her through!

Making a decision, he kneels down gracefully in front of her, looks up at her with an evil leer, and then sinks his fingers into her backside and buries his face between her shaky legs.

Jane gasps and digs her nails into the rope, arching against his limber tongue as it circles her clit. He's getting creative this time: fast circles, slow circles, a quick suck, a long slow lick. He leaves her no way to predict what he'll do next; he's following some pattern known only to him. It's working, though. Slow fire ignites inside Jane, starting from that sweet spot he's toying with so skilfully, spreading into her thighs and belly. It jolts up a few more degrees as one of his hands leaves the curve of her backside and slides back towards him, wet fingers slipping deep into her core. The water flow increase back to nearly maximum, turning even warmer and hammering on her shoulders and back, a gentle massage in counterpoint to Loki's diabolical ministrations.

She's close, so _damned_ close, and he must know it too, but he just stops, leering up at her again. "You sonofabitch," Jane spits out without thinking, too overwhelmed by frustration and sheer _need_. "How can you-?"

"Did I indicate somehow that I was done with you, my eager little minx? A moment of your patience is all that is required, I promise." His leer continues as he spins her back around to her original position, facing away from him.

Jane can't see what he's doing, can barely hear anything with the water falling over her head again. A flash of colour below her catches her eye, though, and she watches with a little amusement as a torn condom wrapper washes past her foot and promptly gets stuck in the drain. Where the heck did _that _come from? Not that she's complaining; hopefully that's a sign they're about to move to the main event. About freakin' _time._

Loki's arm slides around her waist, and he hoists her up straight into the air, pulling her away from the shower spray and pressing her back against himself. Jane gasps, her feet scrabbling to brace themselves against his legs, as she struggles to regain some kind of balance. Once again her bonds adjust, and Jane uses the taut rope to try to steady herself.

She's barely found some kind of stability when Loki enters her, hard and deep. "Is this what you needed, love?" he purrs into her ear.

"More, goddamn you," Jane growls back at him. He'd better not try to make her beg. She is so _not_ in the mood.

He laughs but complies, thrusting inside her over and over, moving so fast that her head spins.

It's _so _good, yes, Christ, she just needs a teeny bit _more_-

Just as if he can read her mind (was he lying about that to Fury?), his other hand, which has been braced on the wall in front of them, moves between her legs. She expects him to touch her, stroke her, and she's confused when she feels him spread her folds wide, exposing her clit but not touching it.

The shower head rotates a bit on its axis, before Jane's bemused eyes, and then the water turns on full-blast. It hits her dead-center on her clit, and it's _cold_.

Jane shrieks before she can stop herself, Loki laughing in her ear as her muscles clamp around him. His finger strokes lightly across her clit, as the pulses of water tease and please. "I adore how _tight_ you become around me, whenever I torture your sweet little nub," he growls.

Dirty talk doesn't always do it for Jane (the line between _so-hot_ and _oh-my-god-that's-gross_ can be such a thin one), but right now it's the final piece of this sexual puzzle. A powerful orgasm barrels though her, every sensation melding into one.

The water warms slightly but continues to massage her clit in short bursts that push her orgasm on and on, and Loki never stops moving inside her.

It doesn't stop until she is totally spent, her whole body seeming to melt.

By the time her brain starts processing again, the water has been turned off, and her hands are free. That's all Jane has time to notice before she is scooped up, soaking wet. Loki carries her straight out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, laying her down on the bedspread…

**And we now return you to our regularly scheduled fic. ;D**


	12. No God is an Island Ch 1

**No God is An Island (1/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: July 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Part Five of the Light in the Dark series. Unfortunately, SHIELD aren't the only ones who know Loki is on Earth. **

**Beta: All kneel before the Goddess of Proofreading, canyr12!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Marvel needs a rent-to-own program, clearly.**

**Author's Note: Movie!verse, as usual! And it's 56 freakin' pages! A new record for me for chapter length. *dies***

_It stands and looks out at the broken stars, a greedy smile splitting its face._

_The Chitauri refer to it as 'The Other', signifying that it is not of their race, even though the Master saw fit to make it their leader._

_To itself, it is only the Nameless One. Oh, it once had a name, but that was long ago. Before the Master came. Before the fire, darkness, and pain._

_But if it acquits itself well in this endeavour, it will avoid more pain. Perhaps the Master will even see fit to reward his faithful servant. The creature smirks unpleasantly at the thought._

_The Asgardian has been _found_. _

_The betrayer is on Midgard, which is something of a surprise to the Nameless One. But no matter. Though the humans had proved to have powerful weapons, those are of no consequence here, as the Nameless One doubts the humans will rush to defend the one who had attempted to lay waste to their home. _

_And so, well-schooled in patience by the Master, the Nameless One watches, noting the defenses the Asgardian has laid against attack. It laughs soundlessly at how pathetic those defenses are. The betrayer's magic is strong, yes, but these defenses seem carelessly made, as if the Asgardian did not believe it possible that he would be found. _

_Fool. _

_Besides, the Nameless One has his own powers, more than sufficient to counteract the Asgardian's petty defenses.  
_

_At his leisure, he plots the most amusing means of punishment for the Asgardian. The Master wishes the Asgardian _alive_, that he may be used to aid in gaining the Tesseract from the Realm Eternal. _

_But the Asgardian is strong, and the Nameless One is sure it can dream up some suitable tortures while they await the Master's arrival._

_It smiles, and it plots. Soon, the betrayer will pay._

Jane stands in the middle of her lab, fidgeting as she looks around. While it's not as disorganized as she had feared, the SHIELD agents obviously hadn't been familiar with Jane's way of filing everything, so it takes Jane three times as long as she expects to find the things she needs, especially since she's stumbling around in heels. Dad had always said one should dress nicely before meeting potentially important people, and this definitely qualifies!

Not that any of this helps her nerves any.

Finally, after an intense, tense search, she finds the structural equation model, clumsily titled the 'Quadruple Logistic Equation', which forms the basis of her theory. It's so bloody complex, than even _she_ sometimes confuses two or more of the terms and has to check her own notes again. Trying to teach it to Darcy had helped Jane get it straight in her own head, at least for awhile, but that doesn't change the fact it's a _monster_.

How they apparently manage to do it so effortlessly in Asgard, Jane has no clue, and it's difficult not to be jealous of them for that! She doubts the Gatekeeper Thor and Loki both told her about – Heimdall, if she remembers correctly – has to worry about calculating vectors, planetary gravity, quantum mechanics, the friction quotient of the interstellar medium-

"Hey, d'you need any help?"

Her hands stuck in the middle of a stack of papers, trying to hold them far enough apart so that she can read the titles without toppling the entire stack, Jane doesn't look around at the sound of Darcy's voice. "Yes, please! I was just looking for my notes and scans from the last Bifröst event we managed to record-"

"They're over here," Darcy says helpfully, rummaging in a box on the other side of the lab. She comes over and hands the pile of papers and acetates to Jane. "_Love_ the suit, by the way. That dark blue really suits you."

"Thanks," Jane says, trying to sound casual though she can feel herself thrumming with nervous energy. Is today the day? Is _this_ the day which will ultimately lead to her dream becoming a reality?

Or will it only be another disappointment?

Darcy trails after her and watches as Jane loads a box full of her most important notes into the back of the Pinz. "Ready when you are," Darcy says after Jane slams the back shut, Darcy trying not to stare too obviously at Jane's slightly-shaking hands.

Jane blinks at her. "Um, what?"

Darcy blinks right back. "Uh, I'm your lab assistant, remember? So how can you meet with Mr. Billionaire Superhero without me?" She gestures to the box of notes. "I can find your notes quicker than you can. Sometimes I think you don't even remember your own filing system." She pauses. "Especially when you're nervous," she adds delicately.

Jane blinks a couple more times. "You know I'm meeting with Stark?"

Darcy shrugs. "Yeah, Fury told me."

"I'm just surprised Fury wants to invite you to the party," Jane admits. "He doesn't strike me as the most 'open' guy-"

"Me neither," Darcy agrees as they climb into the car. "But I guess they figured since I was around when all the drama with Thor and Loki was taking place 'round here that I was already at the party." She shrugs and smiles. "At least until SHELD manages to invent that Men in Black mind-wipe doohickey."

Jane smiles.

"But anyway, remember when they threw all that money at you after Thor left? When they returned all our stuff? They did a background check on me then, too."

Jane chews her lip, suddenly feeling guilty. She'd expected them to dig into her life to a certain extent (and Erik's) once she'd agreed to being on their payroll, but…Darcy's too?

"So yeah, I doubt they'll arrest me at the door," Darcy winks. "Besides, hadn't you noticed? I wore a skirt today." She plucks at it by way of illustration. "Hate to waste it. Anyway, I'm here to help. Hey, that's a neat necklace. Did Loki give that to you last night? I don't remember seeing it before."

Jane smiles and starts the car, grateful for Darcy's presence and rapid-fire, distracting questions. A long lonely drive would only have reinforced Jane's anxiety about meeting Tony Stark.

"Yeah, he kind of…conjured it."

"Sweet!" Darcy gets an envious look on her face. "You know Jane, you've had not one, but _two_ gods fall for you. What's your secret?"

Jane giggles, a little embarrassed. "Honestly Darcy, I have _no_ idea…"

Darcy sighs. "If you figure it out, share, will you? 'Cuz those Asgardians…" she gives a low whistle. "Damn, are they _cut_. And I'm starting to get tired of men – human men – and their issues."

Jane snorts another laugh. "Trust me, Loki has issues. Hell, his _issues_ have issues."

Darcy gives her a sidelong glance. "Not with you, obviously."

Jane shakes her head. "No, not with me. But it's….complicated." His words come back to her: _As I said, it is family business, Jane Foster._

"Oh well, at least he's not hard on the eyes while he's working out his issues." Darcy winks at Jane and rolls down her window, resting an elbow on the frame. "Can you at least _finally _tell me how you and Loki met?"

Jane pauses and bites her lip, wondering if she should just tell the truth. She's tired of hiding, and of lying, and even if their 'arrangement' – relationship? – hadn't started off well, it's been pretty good since….

Maybe Darcy will withdraw her support once she hears the full story, but Jane realizes that's a chance she'll have to take. Loki loves subterfuge, it obviously comes with being the God of Mischief, but Jane isn't wired that way. She doesn't enjoy pulling the wool over other people's eyes the way he does, and in any case, she needs to save her energy for more important things, like building her wormhole generator.

Taking a deep breath and focusing her eyes on the road ahead, Jane begins: "It started a few weeks after the Battle of Manhattan, when I got this feeling, like someone was _watching_ me…."

Jane shouldn't have worried. She'd described how her relationship had begun with Loki, though she'd glossed over all of the kinky stuff, obviously. Then she'd filled Darcy in on Loki's battle with Thor, and how Loki had come to be with her in the SHIELD jail, and finally Loki's 'confession' to Fury.

She'd finished with the fact that Loki obviously had some major issues with Thor and with his family, but that he refused to let Jane in on the reasons why, and then Jane shut up and waited for Darcy's reaction.

Which was: "Boy, you weren't kidding. Dude definitely has _issues_."

Jane couldn't help giggling nervously. "That's _it_? That's all you're going to say?"

Darcy had looked questioningly over at her. "He's being good to you_, _right?" she'd asked.

"Yes." Jane had replied. "_Very_."

"Then I haven't changed my mind since last night – I wasn't _that_ drunk, you know. As long as he behaves himself, I'm going to support your decision." She'd paused, then smiled archly. "Well, behaves himself _outside_ the bedroom, anyway."

She'd winked, Jane had laughed, and then they'd moved on to other topics.

By the time they arrive at the SHIELD base, Jane and Darcy are in the midst of a friendly debate about whether Thor, Loki, and the rest of them should be considered 'gods' or 'aliens'.

The main sticking point seems to be their use of magic. Jane doesn't know quite what to make of it, despite her words months ago that 'magic is science we just don't understand yet'. Darcy, on the other hand, is of the opinion that Loki and Thor's magic is like ESP, and that maybe some humans have those abilities as well, even if scientists haven't proven it yet. So it's not magic, and therefore they are in fact _aliens_. Superior beings, sure. But not gods.

Jane pulls the Pinz into a parking space. "Just don't call Loki an 'alien' to his face, OK? He's definitely locked into this 'I am a god' idea."

Darcy nods and smirks. "Gotcha." She starts to open the car door, then pauses. "You ready for this?" she asks Jane.

Jane closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and tries to calm the fluttering re-birth of the butterflies in her stomach. They've been absent for most of the trip up here, thanks to Darcy, but now they are threatening to take over again.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." She slides out of the car and strides purposefully around to the back to get her notes, though she wobbles a bit on her heels.

"I've got them," Darcy says, taking the box from her over Jane's feeble protests. "I'm the lab assistant, remember? I _assist_."

Over by the door to the imposing SHIELD complex, Jane spots two figures. One is Director Fury, the other a tall redheaded woman in a smart grey suit. Jane's never met her, but she can guess easily enough who it must be, from the things she has heard about Stark. Setting her shoulders and taking another deep breath, Jane walks over to Fury and the woman, her heels clicking loudly enough on the concrete to make Jane wince inwardly. _That's what happens when you get used to walking in sneakers all the time,_ she reminds herself.

"Dr. Foster," Fury addresses her. "This is Ms. Potts, CEO-"

"Of Stark Industries, I know," Jane interjects, her nerves driving her to interrupt, even as she tries to get a handle on them. She shakes hands with Potts, wincing inwardly again at the thought of how cold her hands must feel to the other woman.

"Please call me Pepper," she says, smiling kindly at Jane.

"And I'm Darcy, Jane's lab assistant," Darcy pipes up, juggling the box of notes so she can shake hands with Pepper as well. "Say, any chance I can get an autograph from Iron Man?"

"Darcy!" Jane sputters, heat rising into her cheeks. Is _that_ why Darcy wanted to come along so bad? Jane had no idea Darcy was such a fan of Iron Man.

But Pepper laughs. "I get that a lot, Dr. Foster. Don't be too hard on your assistant."

Jane smiles in reply and shakes her head. "I can just imagine. Please, though, call me Jane."

"Jane, then," Pepper nods. "Tony should be here within the hour. He was tinkering in his lab when I left, but I reminded him that it's not nice to keep women waiting." Pepper smirks knowingly, though Jane has to suppress a pang of envy at the thought of Tony Stark in his lab, with all the freedom and money to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, _for _whomever he wants (himself, most likely).

If she plays her cards right, however, that will be _her_, won't it?

"Maybe we could wait indoors, in the air-conditioning?" Fury suggests. His eye focuses on the snake necklace around Jane's neck, and his expression sours for a long moment before he schools it back to neutrality. "Ladies?" He motions them ahead of him.

"Thank you," Pepper says, leading the way with brisk strides.

Jane glances over her shoulder at the parking lot just before the building swallows them up. She wonders if maybe Loki is here, listening and watching but cloaked from everyone's view. Somehow that thought, correct or not, settles her down a bit.

"Those are lovely shoes," Pepper compliments Jane as they settle into a lounge on the second floor, Fury excusing himself to attend to other things. The lounge smells pleasantly of coffee, and Darcy dumps her box on the couch and makes a beeline for the coffee machine like her life depended on it.

"Thank you," Jane says, smiling ruefully. "Too bad they look better than they feel." She wriggles her toes against the restraining black leather.

Pepper sighs. "Tell me about it. Sometimes I tell myself that if I'm not going to wear sensible shoes now, when I'm CEO, when will I ever get a better chance?" Smirking, she toes off her shoes, and after a moment Jane smiles and does the same, both of them breathing a sigh of relief.

"That's one of the advantages of research, I guess – I can wear whatever I like. If I want to open a portal to another planet while wearing pajamas and bunny slippers, who's going to know?" Jane muses.

Darcy sniggers as she plops down on the soft couch next to Jane, adding her sparkly silver ballet flats to the discarded footwear on the floor. "No weirder than all those Asgardians showing up in Puente Antiguo looking like rejects from the local Renaissance Fair."

Jane stiffens. _Should we really be reminding Stark's right-hand man (excuse me, _wo_man) about Loki right now?_

But the warmth in Pepper's voice doesn't change. "That reminds me, I've been looking over your research, Doc- _Jane_." Pepper is saying. "It's truly remarkable what you've accomplished, especially given how little support and funding you've received from grant agencies and the academic community in general. I saw some of the schematics of the equipment you built from scratch. Tony was fairly impressed."

Jane smiles and blushes again. "Well, it certainly helped when Thor arrived. Once I knew that other worlds were out there, that other races had similar technology…" She shrugs. "And SHIELD's support didn't hurt either," she adds.

Of course, finally _knowing_ that wormhole travel was possible hadn't been her onlyreason for pushing harder at the time. She'd still been in love with Thor then. Which reminds her yet again that she's with Loki now, and Jane's smile falters slightly. Does she dare bring that subject up with Pepper, get it out of the way before Stark gets here?

Or does the other woman already know?

Pepper rises to her feet with a grace Jane wishes she could match, and fetches her own coffee. "I'm sure a Eureka moment like that never hurts. I'm no scientist – that's all Tony's department – but I've certainly seen him when that moment strikes." She grins. "He starts behaving like a hyperactive child on intravenous caffeine."

Next to Jane, Darcy snorts. "We should get together sometime and compare notes. Survival strategies and stuff like that," she quips, giving Jane a sideways _look_.

Jane shifts uncomfortably though she tries to smile. "Am I really that bad?" she asks Darcy.

"Nobody could be as bad as Tony," Pepper gives a long-suffering sigh, though the corner of her mouth quirks.

"Me? _Bad_?" comes a wounded male voice from the hallway. "And here I thought you liked the bad boys." The legendary Tony Stark strolls casually into the room, followed by Fury. Stark is wearing a Black Sabbath tee shirt and jeans that have seen better days. _Way _better days. "I feel suddenly underdressed," he quips, his gaze sweeping the room though it seems to linger longest on Jane.

The butterflies in Jane's stomach start to wheel in agitated circles.

Pepper makes an exasperated noise and rolls her eyes. "Tony Stark, may I introduce Dr. Jane Foster and her assistant, Darcy Lewis?"

Jane and Darcy stand, Jane's hands clenching themselves together in front of her. Moment of truth. It doesn't help that Fury is there, his single eye locked on Jane, or so it seems to her. And she's standing here in her bare feet to meet the legendary Tony Stark! Dad would be _so_ disappointed.

"Ladies," Tony says, shaking hands with both of them, his grip warm and firm.

Some of the tension breaks when he pecks Pepper on the cheek. "Get me a coffee, would you?" he asks her.

Pepper rolls her eyes again and sends Jane and Darcy a 'see-what-I-have-to-put-up-with?' look, but she smirks and strides over to the coffee machine.

Tony seat-drops onto the couch. "So, a wormhole generator," he says.

Jane sits down herself, vaguely aware that Darcy is still standing.

"Yes. That's probably the simplest way to put it." Jane glances nervously up at Darcy, who looks a little nervous herself. _What the-? Oh, right._

"My lab assistant is dying for your autograph, Mr. Stark," Jane says with an inner sigh. Better get that awkwardness out of the way. _Before the _other_ awkwardness, anyway. _

"No problem," he says. "And it's Tony. Got a pen?" he asks Darcy.

"You can go, by the way," Tony says to Fury as Darcy fumbles in her purse. "I think I can control a crowd of one raging fangirl." He winks at Darcy, who smirks saucily back.

Rolling his eye in annoyance, Fury snorts and leaves after a single nod at the rest of them.

"Stop pushing Nick's buttons," Pepper chides Tony gently, bringing his coffee over.

"Why?" Tony whines. "It's _fun_. And since when is he '_Nick_'?"

Jane has to stifle a giggle, her nerves settling somewhat. Tony seems so…normal? He's not what Jane was expecting at all, considering he's so rich, famous, and is a superhero to boot.

On the other hand, Jane can see the faint blue glimmer of the arc-reactor under his shirt. No, she amends, not normal. But not _frightening_.

"Anyway, I've been looking over all the records SHIELD has of your work to date," Tony says, handing pen and paper back to Darcy. "Impressive stuff. Some real leaps of genius there." He takes a sip of coffee, but his eyes seem to watch her carefully over the rim of the mug.

Or is Jane looking for distrust where none exists? She can't tell. People are so much harder to figure out than planets and stars! Mathematics just doesn't begin to capture the attitudes and thoughts of the human animal.

"Thank you," she says, blushing again, her eyes dropping to her lap. "I really appreciate you taking the time to consider working with me." She fidgets, then decides to take on the elephant in the room head-on, before she dies of anxiety. "Especially given the obvious…._complication_."

Tony's eyes sharpen further. "Pepper, Darcy, could you give us a couple minutes? Jane and I need to have a private conversation. Intellectual property issues to consider, and all of that," he adds though the last part is a joke, judging by his smirk.

Darcy raises an eyebrow, but Pepper nods in understanding and, snagging both their pairs of shoes from the floor, motions for Darcy to follow her. Jane thinks she glimpses a small reassuring smile from Pepper aimed towards her on their way out.

Jane clenches cold fists tightly in her lap, eyes on the floor as Tony rises and walks to the door Pepper just shut behind her. "So, Loki, huh?" he says, turning to face Jane.

Jane takes a deep breath. "Yes. I'm…involved with him. I guess Fury told you."

"Yep." Tony says. He takes a deep swig of coffee. "I think that might've even been the _first_ thing he told me."

Jane's not surprised. "Did he also tell you what Loki told him? About why he attacked us?"

Tony nods. "He did. Showed me the entire video of the confession, in fact."

Jane blinks. She hadn't realized Fury had recorded the conversation, but she's not surprised, again. "And?"

"Don't know that I believe all of it, or even most of it," Tony says, shrugging. "But from what I understand, Thor obviously knows where Loki is, but is letting Loki do his thing. And, frankly, do _you_," Tony points out, and Jane shifts awkwardly. "That goes a long way. While I don't know Thor all that well, I admit, I know enough about him to be pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he thought he'd left a monster running around down here."

Jane nods.

"Not to mention, the intrepid Director Fury is letting this project go forward," Tony adds, gesturing with the coffee mug.

Jane snorts. "I'm pretty sure that's so he can keep an eye on me." Even she is surprised at how bitter she sounds.

Tony chuckles. "Well, he _does_ only have the one," he agrees. He drains the mug and puts it on the counter, then flops down on the couch again.

"Still, I get the distinct feeling Fury wouldn't let this go ahead if he thought Loki was involved." Tony cocks his head. "_Is_ he?" His eyes fixate on Jane's necklace, and she wonders if Loki's gift is forever going to be an anchor around her throat.

Jane shakes her head. "No. We don't really talk about my work." She ignores the blush trying to creep into her face again.

Tony smirks. "I kinda thought he'd mellow a bit once he got laid."

Jane is startled into laughing loudly, and Tony joins her.

"I do wonder sometimes why he's never asked about my work," she admits. "Maybe even a Norse God can appreciate the good sense of giving someone else their space?"

Tony shrugs. "Seems to work for Pepper and me. She knows better than to get between me and my suits." He pauses and looks at Jane for a long moment, his eyes narrowed in a calculating way.

Seeming to come to a decision, he stands and extends a hand to her. "Are you free next Tuesday? I'll have Pepper make arrangements to get you to Stark Tower in New York. I'll show you the site for the new arc reactor, go over the specs with you and make sure they work with your theoretical model, that sort of thing."

Jane blinks up at him. Frankly, she'd expected more resistance than this. "Does this mean that you trust me, then?"

"You haven't given me any reason not to," Tony replies. "Just keep Reindeer Games away, OK? And no discussion of the actual portal or power source specs with him. Though I'd be telling you to do the same even if he was Joe Blow. It's S.O.P. for SHIELD."

Jane nods. "Of course. I figured as much." She rises to her feet and takes Tony's hand. "I…don't know what to say, Mr. Stark. I've been working for so long, spent so much time wondering if my portal could ever be built and-"

"It's Tony, and you're welcome. I always enjoy making history," he jokes, smiling warmly down at her. "Now," he says, motioning towards the door. "Grab your shoes. We'd better find our lady friends and One-Eye and tell 'em all the good news…"

Jane is so high on both relief and sheer excitement that Darcy takes one look at her face in the parking lot and insists on driving the Pinz back home. "You'll daydream us right into a ditch," Darcy argues, firmly pushing Jane towards the passenger side.

Darcy knows Jane well enough to know when she's in full-on geek mode and won't be in the mood to talk; Darcy starts the car and immediately turns on the Pinzgauer's radio.

Jane doesn't take offense at Darcy ignoring her; she _needs_ the head-space right now. So much to think about. Jane takes out her notepad and starts scribbling lists immediately at lightning speed, first of all the equipment she'll need to bring over from her lab, then of the estimated power requirements she'll need to generate a portal to Asgard – she may not be welcome there, as Loki's lover, but it's still the most obvious choice. Where else is she going to go? – and then a list of all the calculations she'll want to double- and triple- and maybe even quadruple-check.

It's a long drive though, and eventually Jane finds herself exhausted by the whole thing, even as her brain keeps buzzing along in a million directions. But Darcy is in her own little zone, still listening to the music and humming to herself, so Jane tries to turn her thoughts to something- anything- else.

The first thing that comes to her is Loki's voice: _Are there certain acts or scenarios you have always wanted a lover to do, to you or with you, that you wish to attempt with me?_

Jane rolls her eyes at herself. _Jesus H. Christ._ _Maybe Loki isn't the only one with a one-track mind. _

She turns to the window to hide her little smile. That's not true, she has _two_ tracks: Einstein-Rosen bridge, and kinky sex.

Still, she can see no actual harm – and it _would_ be a mental break from Stark-Foster for a few minutes – in thinking about what she might like to try. Or not. She already knows that she likes being overpowered, and that she likes dangerous men. Loki already fits the bill on both, but does she dare take it any further?

Maybe it would be safer, if less exciting, just to linger in the realm of something more mundane for a while? The 'hunt' they'd acted out had been damned _hot_, but if she does that kind of thing too often with him, won't _that_ get boring pretty quickly?

Or is she just talking herself out of trying more challenging things because she's _afraid_? Afraid of him judging her or laughing at her, afraid that he'll take things too far and it will stop being fun, afraid of exposing too much of herself?

Jane shakes her head slightly. This? Not helping. Damn.

She sighs and tries to engage Darcy in conversation instead. "I didn't know you were such an Iron Man fan," she says.

"I'm not," Darcy answers. "But his autographs sell for a shitload of money on e-Bay."

Jane laughs until she almost pees herself.

Jane closes her (_her_! The idea still feels her with a kind of giddy joy) apartment door behind her. "Anyone here?" she calls, but she gets no answer. She doesn't want to say Loki's name just yet and summon him if he isn't here already; she'd realized on her way up the stairs that she hasn't given any thought at all to what she'll tell him about today.

The apartment is empty, the silence seeming to ring in her ears. She finds herself pacing absently from room to room, her brain still full of calculations and hypotheses…and worries about what could go wrong. What she might have missed.

It's one thing to work with Darcy (who doesn't really understand) and Erik (who in the past was tolerant of any mistakes on her part), but working with a legend like Tony Stark? Fucking this up is going to be _that_ much more embarrassing! Probably really bad for any remaining academic reputation she has as well.

After what feels like hours, Jane finally decides she'll never get any sleep tonight if she doesn't manage to shut her overactive brain down. So she makes herself a hot peppermint tea and goes up onto the roof. She already moved two chairs into 'her' corner during the move, and now she sits and watches the sunset, sipping the steaming liquid slowly.

She wonders if she should summon Loki, but that only leads her to start on a new worry: What, if anything, she'll tell him about today's meeting.

After a brief argument with herself, she decides the best way to handle this whole problem is to let _him_ ask, if he's curious. She realizes she wants him here, badly. She needs a distraction if she's going to be able to turn her brain and body off and relax at all tonight.

"Loki." she says loudly, a few decibels lower than a shout.

She wonders how quiet she can be, and yet still have him hear her. That will need to be an experiment for another time, for now there's a creaking of leathers behind her, and the god himself walks over to sit beside her.

"My lady," he smirks, raising her hand to his lips. She giggles and shakes her head in reply. She doesn't think she'll ever get used to that.

He scans the horizon and the clouds, pink-tinged from the lowering sun. "A lovely view." He pauses, then asks carefully. "And did you have a productive day, my Jane?"

She squeezes his hand as her barely-controlled excitement surges. "Yes, I'll say! I met with Tony – Stark, rather – and he agreed to work with me. He's going to build the power source for my por- my Bifröst!"

Loki smiles, seemingly delighted by her delight, but then a serious expression returns to his features. "Might I assume he knows about me – about _us_?"

Jane nods, her own smile wavering a little. But then she decides just as quickly that she won't buy into the shame that she thinks she can read on his face. "Fury told him. But Stark seems OK with it – Fury showed him your…confession. And Tony figures if Thor seems all right with you being here, and Fury is OK with me working with Stark Industries…" She trails off with a shrug, but her excitement renders her unable to sit still. She releases his hand and gets up and paces, draining the last of her tea, her feet making scuffing noises. Loki watches her restless movements curiously.

"Are you well?" he asks her after her fifth circuit of the rooftop.

"Yes, I am. Actually, I'm _better_ than well." She turns to face him. "Everything I've been working towards, for as long as I can remember…and now it feels like it's _right there_. Like I might actually be able to make this bridge between worlds _work_. It's not just a pipe dream or whacked-out scientific theory. Other people believe in it."

Loki frowns. "Why should they not? Oh, perhaps before, before Thor-" he pauses, grimacing, but then soldiers on: "-and I came here to your Realm, and yes, the Chitauri as well. But the other Nine Realms are out there, and denying it will not help your people be ready to meet them. Or to defend themselves."

Jane freezes in place, her blood going utterly cold. The mug dangles from abruptly nerveless fingers. "You think Fury wants my portal so we can somehow defend ourselves better against alien attack? Or escape?"

Loki shakes his head at her distress and rises from the chair to pluck the cup from her hand, and then he wraps his larger hands around hers. "In truth, I cannot say what he thinks. Or if that such is true, that he would be wrong. The universe and Midgard are not so different, in the sense that some who populate it are good, while others are of evil intent. No doubt once Midgard can open the way to other worlds, some will welcome your people with open arms – like Asgard, I would safely warrant – while others may look to conquer you. But even if it is the latter case, the Bifröst in Asgard has always proved useful, and thus I would wager having a Midgardian version will do more good than harm." Warmth seeps into her skin from his, though his eyes look haunted.

"But why dwell on what may never come to pass?" he asks, drawing her in for a kiss. "Your first task is to build the bridge, and finally the other mortals are recognizing and supporting your hard work and intellect. Thus it seems to me that a celebration is warranted." He kisses her again, harder and deeper than before, his tongue curling around hers.

Jane smiles and tries to catch her breath when he lowers her back to her feet. "I don't know if I'm capable of cooking up an Asgardian-style feast." _Yeah, like ramen noodles, PB and J, Kraft dinner, and pancakes would even come _close_. _That's about the extent of her cooking ability, sadly.

He grins. "Such was not my intention. No, I shall find a suitable place for us to dine. I will make the arrangements, and return in half of one of your hours to collect you."

He vanishes before Jane can ask him anything further. _Crap. He didn't say if it was fancy or- _She has to chuckle. Right, like Mr. Terminally Overdressed would take her to Taco Bell to celebrate.

She goes back to her apartment, excitement still fueling her as she digs in the closet for her blue wraparound dress. Thank God she had decided not to pack it during the move, just in case, as most of her clothes are still in boxes! She only has the one pair of dress shoes, the same ones she wore to meet with Tony today, so she goes to retrieve them from where she dropped them earlier.

She studies herself in the mirror. The dress leaves her shoulders bare, and she wonders if she should wear or bring a wrap of some kind. But that would cover Loki's gift, and it looks very good on her, paired with the dress. Well, no doubt if she feels cold, Loki can do something about that. She smirks and winks at herself, then applies a little makeup and brushes out her hair.

She then spends about ten minutes pacing the apartment again. Without Loki here to divert her attention, it's too easy to fall right back into ruminating about Stark-Foster-

A flash dazzles her eyes, and Loki is back. He's once again wearing his dark suit, white dress shirt, and _that_ scarf. The one he used to blindfold her in the SHIELD jail, to help her 'focus'. She finds herself blushing at the memory.

_And I thought_ I_ had few clothes,_ she thinks, hiding a grin. Loki seems to have exactly three outfits – Dressy Midgardian, Asgardian Casual, and Asgardian Armoured to the Max. But at least he's retained his progress with the hair-gel, or rather, the _lack _of hair-gel. Jane approves.

His eyes take in her form from head to toe. "My beautiful one. I shall surely be the envy of all. Come," he says, beckoning her with an elegant hand.

She shakes her head and blushes bright red at his compliment, but takes his hand. Half a heartbeat later, she is blinking the purple flashes out of her vision to find that they are standing in front of a renowned French restaurant. Even Jane, as unworldly as she is, recognizes the name. "You got a reservation _here_?"

He raises an eyebrow. "I am-"

"A God, yeah, I get it," Jane finishes for him, but she's chuckling.

He grins and tugs her gently with him into the restaurant.

The interior of the place is appropriately dim, the decor in warm golds and reds, the booth they are settled into is plush and private, and the food is, of course, completely exquisite.

The only thing keeping it from being absolutely perfect is Jane's continued nervous energy.

Loki is obviously aware of it too, given he sat himself down right next to her in the booth when they arrived, and he glances over at her with gentle amusement every time she fidgets, her side brushing against his.

To his credit, he does his best to distract her with conversation. He asks her what it is like, living by herself and having to do all her own tasks of daily living – and he seems genuinely interested in her answers. Living on one's own with no servants must be very new and alien to him.

To be fair, Jane tries to put some of the focus back on him. "Would you mind very much telling me about the Bifröst? The real one, I mean?"

Loki shakes his head regretfully. "Alas, there is not much I can convey. It is fuelled by magic, this much you will surely have guessed, but the mechanics of that magic would be difficult for me to explain."

"Because I'm not a magic-user?" Jane asks.

"Partly. But also because I am not at all familiar with such workings. The Gatekeeper -Heimdall- is the one to whom you would need to direct your query. I would possibly be able to explain to you how to cast illusions and such, if I could first have you grasp the fundamentals of magic and how it can be bent to one's will. But even that, I suspect, would prove difficult. And unlike illusions, the Bifröst is quite outside my area of…expertise."

They pause as the waiter brings their desserts – crème brulée for her, tarte tatin for him – and Loki takes a bite, chews appreciatively, and then changes the subject. "Now, have you given any thought to my question regarding which fantasies of yours you will wish me to indulge?"

Jane nearly chokes on her fork. What is it with him and asking embarrassing questions in restaurants?

She gives a short laugh. "I haven't really had the time, to be honest. Between moving and now this Stark thing…well, I've had a lot on my plate." Her brief debate with herself in the Pinz hadn't yielded any actual fantasies, after all, so she's not exactly _lying_ to Loki.

"How disappointing," he sighs, but he's eyeing her cleavage in a way that doesn't match his tone.

"What's wrong with just having…I don't know, _standard_ fantasies?" She drops her voice and glances around, but no one seems to be paying any attention to them. "Tying me up, spanking me, and covering me with snakes is not arousing enough for you?"

He inclines his head, smirking. "I am not saying they are not enjoyable. But sometimes adding yet another layer to such an activity adds…_spice_." He licks his fork, and to Jane the motion seems full of innuendo.

"You must realize, of course," he continues, "that I have existed a long time. _Millenia_, compared to you. I have bedded many women – and the occasional man – and so I have learned much about the myriad ways of pleasing partners from various Realms. This is not about me being bored, it is about _you_ being bored."

Jane shakes her head. "I'm not bored. Not even close!"

He studies her face closely, his eyes narrowed. "No, not bored, perhaps. But you are _occupied_. I can see it clearly this night. Whenever we are not speaking, your thoughts race. Your life's work has its own seductiveness. It does not easily let you go."

"It's not a competition," Jane says.

"No, perhaps not. But I rather think that if I do not totally satisfy and exhaust you tonight, you will not sleep," he predicts. It reminds her of the SHIELD jail, when he'd said something similar.

Jane flinches in surprise as his hand closes on her leg. The dress only comes to mid-thigh, and his fingertips flirt with the edge.

Red stains her cheeks. "Loki!" she chides him, trying to push his hand away. She may as well try to push Stark Tower over with her bare hands, but at least his hand doesn't advance any further up her thigh.

He shakes his head slightly and shifts over to press his side fully against hers, folding his lean arm around her bare shoulders. "No one shall see us. Unless you _want _them to."

Jane shakes her head – there's that exhibitionist streak in him again – "You couldn't leave a tip large enough to cure the trauma," she jokes half-heartedly. She's intensely aware of his hand on her thigh, fingers caressing her skin in tiny precise circles, transmitting warmth into her flesh.

She'll grant that he _is_ right on one point – she's not fixated on anything related to astrophysics at this particular moment.

He leans into her, burying his nose into her hair and breathing deeply, then he presses a soft kiss to the sensitive flesh behind her ear. "If it would make it easier for you, I could start. I could relate to you a few of my desires," he suggests, his voice like gravel wrapped in silk.

Jane shivers, wanting him to stop and wanting him to _not_ stop at the same time. He knows it too, she'd take bets on it.

"For example, I enjoy watching my partners pleasure themselves. I always find it very…educational," he declares. "And there are some playthings - Asgardian, though I am certain there are Midgardian equivalents, like that vibrator of yours- that I have used in the past that certainly have brought joy to many partners." He pauses and cocks his head, watching her face closely. He's enjoying every minute of this, Jane realizes. "Or perhaps lying with me in my female form would be of interest to you?" he continues.

Jane has tried to ignore the heat rising in both her cheeks and her belly during this whole recital, doing her best to remain unmoved, but that last suggestion of his makes her jaw drop. "Wh…_what_?"

His lips brush against her ear and she can feel the curve of his grin against her skin. "I have some ability to shift my shape. Oh, it is _limited_ – I cannot take forms significantly larger or smaller than myself. But to alter my own appearance, and to change gender, those are nothing." He traces his fingers lightly along her shoulder, and Jane shudders, goosebumps rising on her arms. "But be assured, my Jane, such are only suggestions. I do not _expect_ you to participate. Do so only if it is something which interests you as well."

Jane shakes her head again, tongue momentarily tied. She settles for chuckling nervously, finally managing to answer with: "Maybe I should be worried about boring _you_."

His teeth graze her neck just above the necklace, and she has to silence a gasp. "I do not think that possible, little one," he insists, nuzzling under her ear. "Oh, perhaps if you were one of those partners who insists on only the most _gentle_ of acts, and always in the same place and position and with never any variation, well yes, that would certainly pose a risk." He finally leans back and flashes her a leering grin. "But I think we have already well-established that you too would be bored by such repetitiveness."

Jane blushes (you'd think her cheeks would be tired of it by now), but it's the truth. "Got me," she admits, smiling a little despite her mixed emotions.

"Oh _yes_, that I do," he purrs, his arm tightening around her as he leans in again. "Now, where was I?" he continues as she squirms, her tension rising again. "Oh yes – some other ideas. There are a few…scenarios that some past partners have enjoyed playing with me that perhaps you would also enjoy. For example, not too long ago in Midgard's history – though I suppose that is only in my estimation – it was not uncommon for those courting my favour to offer me a _sacrifice_." He pulls back to he can assess her reaction to that.

Jane laughs and covers her burning face with her cold hands. "I don't think I fit the bill. If you mean virgin sacrifices, I'm way past that, as you yourself know! And nobody would ever consider _me_ beautiful enough to tempt a 'god'-"

In answer his hand moves up her thigh a bare inch, silencing her. "You already have, my dear," he points out. "Two gods, in fact," he adds, and Jane can't argue with that. "But to continue our discussion, sometimes past partners of mine enjoyed it when I…shared them with another. Tell me Jane, have you ever had more than one partner attempt to please you, at the same time?"

Jane thinks her jaw has dropped low enough to almost impact the floor this time. Loki has always struck her as borderline possessive, given that whole 'You are _mine_' business, so this is really the last thing she'd expect him to fantasize about.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," she mutters. "I have enough trouble maintaining relationships with one person, let alone two. Or more!"

He shakes his head and the corner of his mouth quirks in a smile. "Not a relationship. Another…_arrangement_."

"I…don't know if I could do that. If I would feel safe," she says, but she can feel the lie between her legs.

It seems that while her brain feels one way, her body is more than willing to try anything Loki suggests.

"I would not violate the trust between us by bringing in someone whom I was not absolutely sure would treat you excellently," Loki asserts, his bright eyes locked on her reddened face. "As I've said before, my goal is _your_ pleasure."

"Please, Loki, can we not talk about this here?" Jane begs. It feels like every ounce of blood in her body is trying to cram itself into her blushing face. Surely the people around them will have noticed their intense, sexually-charged embrace by now and will be watching, though Jane doesn't dare look around to verify that.

"Why not? It is obviously exciting you." His fingertips gently stroke the inside of her thigh.

She whimpers as he kisses her hard, tongue slipping against her lips. She tells herself she should resist, that this is _not_ the time or place, even as she allows him entry. His hand slips behind her neck, the pads of his fingers making slow caressing circles over the muscles, and the hand between her legs tugs lightly, spreading her legs wider.

She breaks the kiss, trying not to pant. "Maybe," she retorts raggedly, trying to throw him off, "one of my fantasies is to dominate _you_."

He laughs with delight against her mouth, and she swallows a groan as his teeth lightly pinch her lower lip. "You did please me thoroughly the last time I allowed you to subjugate me. So indeed I see no reason to deny you – nor I – such a thing. But in a future session, perhaps. For the time being, I prefer to retain control."

He takes her mouth with another deep, breath-stealing kiss. When he finally lets her go, he leans his forehead against hers, his breath falling hot and soft on her face. She's never realized before how long and dark his eyelashes are.

"I can feel your internal struggle," he says in a low soothing voice, "and it is so unfortunate and unnecessary. You Midgardians have such bizarre ideas about the simple act of intercourse. That your males may bed whomever they choose, and as many as they can. Indeed, they are encouraged to! Whereas your females may only sleep with a few carefully chosen partners, or be labeled as wanton. Or worse. Oh, you tell yourselves things have _changed_, and for the better, but I personally am not convinced that your attitudes as a people have changed that much. Your battle against your needs at this very moment gives the proof."

Jane raises a brow. "You're not as ignorant of our culture as you led me to believe," she accuses him. His hand moves just a little higher on her thigh and she finds her hand on top of it again, trying to stop him. Again, he doesn't push past her resistance.

"There are many things I know," he allows. "But many more that I do not. But let us not change the subject. Midgardian women are not encouraged to fully explore and express their sexuality. Oh, your entertainment media are brimming with sexuality – too much of it, even! - but how you live your own lives is completely opposite. Take this moment, for example. What harm could there be in allowing me to _touch_ you?" His hand on her leg squeezes gently.

"It's the same reason why I don't want to have phone-sex with you at my lab!" she sputters.

He chuckles. "Surely they are not the same. There, I will grant you, Lady Darcy could stumble upon and interrupt the proceedings at any time. And no doubt that would create some discomfort between you, I will admit."

Jane shakes her head. "You _think_? Besides, we humans have a saying: 'You don't mix business and pleasure.'"

Loki inclines his head. "A fair point. So, no playing at your place of work. But here? None knows or cares who we are. Or truly, what we are doing. If we are careful." His grin is predatory. "In fact, it would be a simple matter for me to cast an illusion over us. Our fellow patrons will be none the wiser. No different than when you allowed me to have my way with you in that SHIELD dungeon."

Jane swallows hard but still feels very nervous about the whole thing. Even if the other people can't see, _she_ would know. "I don't know. It's just not something I _do_. I'm just not that brave." She gives a short, uneasy laugh.

"Might I suggest, respectfully, my dear one," Loki urges, "that you would do better to apply several new rules to yourself? I am a God, not one of the foolish Midgardian males who passed up the chance to claim you. Could you perhaps at least consider _trying _those acts which you are somewhat unsure or uneasy about? If they do not cause you enjoyment, we need not ever try them again. But it is hardly logical to dismiss them out of hand, merely because they offend some misguided sense of propriety that was forced upon you by upbringing."

Jane tries to think, but it's hard to keep her rational brain going when he's this close to her, his scent all around her and his warm hand stroking her leg.

"I suppose, fine. _Yes_." she says, somehow thinking that might get him to back off, or to slow down, to buy her some time.

Wrong.

His lips skate across her ear. "If I might make a further suggestion, it would be this: If something feels good to you, do not stop it. You may have been reared to deny yourself pleasure, but that is entirely irrelevant. You can set those attitudes aside if you choose to." As if to illustrate his point, his hand tries to slip up her leg once more, and hers tightens around his again.

He turns his hand, grasping her sweaty one gently. "You see?" he says, "This is exactly what I am speaking of. Am I hurting you?"

"N-no," Jane whispers. She can already feel her resistance crumbling. Loki's words do have a kind of twisted logic, damn him to hell.

"Are you enjoying my touch?"

Jane closes her eyes tight. "Yes," she admits.

"Whose judgment is it that you fear? These other mortals around us are nothing to you and me. And I will see to it that they will be unable to notice what is transpiring between us. In fact-" There is a pause, and Jane imagines Loki gesturing. "It is done, though we will still need to be rather _quiet_."

Eyes still shut, Jane admits softly, "Maybe it's _your_ judgment I'm afraid of."

He makes a sound of negation. "In that case, fear nothing. I have seen and catered to desires and wants of all kinds in my long years, and have indulged many of my own. It is a poor bedmate indeed, who is imprudent enough to judge his partner negatively for the things that arouse her."

He turns her face to his and kisses her, his hair tickling her face as his tongue strokes along hers. "You want to yield to me completely, I can tell," he says after pulling away. "I can feel your heart racing-" his fingers graze the side of her neck, following along the edge of his gift to her- "I can _scent _it on you. Do not give such battle to your desires. Let them loose."

Trembling, she makes her decision. One, she tilts her chin up, giving him access to all the places on her neck and throat that he knows she enjoys him kissing. Two, she releases her grip on his hand, and voluntarily opens her legs just a fraction wider.

It's insane, utterly insane what she's letting him do – no, what she's _encouraging_ him to do! – but she doesn't care about that anymore. How many times has she wished she'd taken more chances in her personal and sexual life? Too many to count.

She doesn't want her fears to get in the way. If she'd allowed fear to stop her, would she have made the same gains in other areas of her life, such as with the Einstein-Rosen Bridge? Not likely.

"Yessss," he purrs encouragingly. "Place your faith in me, my Jane."

He practically attacks her neck with tongue and teeth, and Jane bites her lip hard against the whimpers rising in her throat. She fists a hand in his soft black hair and digs the fingers of her other hand into the banquette, thigh muscles tensing under his hand as it strokes slow circles up her leg.

What he'll do when he reaches her panties, she doesn't know. But the thought of what he _might_ do both alarms and excites her.

What he does do is lightly scratch a blunt nail along the edge of her panties, along the crease where thigh and torso meet, and Jane gasps into his mouth and writhes, certain she's leaving damp marks on the seat beneath her.

His knuckles brush against the fabric that separates his flesh from hers, then his thumb circles her clit through the thin cloth. He muffles the noises that wrenches out of her with his mouth, then he pulls away completely, a calculating look on his face.

Jane blinks, now confused and aroused beyond believing. She swipes her hair out of her flushed face and frowns at him. "What are-?"

"Your inner garment is in my way," he says matter-of-factly. "Shall we remove it?"

It feels like all the blood has now rushed _out_ of Jane's face. "You want me to take my panties off?" she asks, her voice low and shocked.

He smirks. "Is that not what I said? Yes. And be quick about it, lest I rip them asunder in my impatience to please you."

"Loki," she whispers desperately, glancing fearfully around the room before she remembers his illusion. So much for her attempt at bravery.

"You agreed to not let your fears give you pause," he points out. "And as you will no doubt recall, under the terms of our arrangement, I am in charge. I am your God and master, and I tell you now: You may go and remove your undergarments in privacy, or I will remove them myself, right here and right at this moment." His eyes challenge her, gleaming diabolically.

Stiffly, Jane slides to the end of the booth and gets to her feet. Her knees feel weak and trembly, and the clicks of her heels sound like gunshots to her. Surely everyone is staring _now_,illusion or not?

She manages somehow to make it to the bathroom, which is mercifully unoccupied. She stares at her face in the mirror. She's flushed and a corner of her lipstick is smudged, her pupils dark and dilated.

_Slut,_ her negative inner voice reprimands.

_Oh yeah? Well, maybe I'm tired of being the good girl. When did toeing the line ever get me anywhere?_

Like Loki has pointed out so logically (and Jane loves logic, doesn't she?), where's the harm?

She wipes off the rest of her lipstick before Loki smudges it all away anyway (Is it smeared on his mouth? The notion makes her smile), she splashes water on her rosy face, and she pops into a stall and takes off her panties. Then she stops.

She has no purse, no bag. Where the heck is she supposed to put these?

But Loki is _waiting_, so Jane just washes her hands as quickly as she can and balls the panties up in her fist. Nobody else comes in, thank God.

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she pushes open the door. Loki's dessert plate is bare and he's stealing a bite of hers when Jane gets back to their table.

She scoots over next to him again and shoots him a dark glance. "That's _my_ dessert," she informs him sharply.

He licks the spoon and eyes her up and down. "So it is. Finish yours, and then I will continue _mine_." His eyes dance.

She finishes the crème brulée as slowly as she dares, savouring it and the anticipation, even as her nerves crank tighter. At least Loki takes pity on her and instead of fixating his intense, hungry stare on her, he scans the room nonchalantly instead, though his hand remains on the back of her neck, idly tracing distracting little patterns over and over.

Jane finishes the last delicious bite, and Loki is curling his arm around her and invading her personal space before she's even finished pushing the plate away.

"Now, where were we?" he says conversationally, and Jane giggles nervously. "Did you do as instructed?"

Wordlessly, Jane holds up her left hand. "I had nowhere to put them-"

"A minor inconvenience," he says, taking them from her. He then folds them neatly on her lap…and then sticks them into the pocket of his blazer like a handkerchief.

_Holy crap._ "What are you- You really _do_ want me to die of embarrassment, don't you?" Jane accuses him. At least they're black and fairly plain-looking. Pink butterflies and lace would stand out a lot more against his suit.

He raises a brow. "Always so quick to assign murderous intent to me?" he asks reprovingly. "No. You would not make nearly as many arousing noises if you were dead. Besides, do you not recall? None are able to bear witness right now, I saw to that."

He aborts her reply with lips and tongue and teeth, his hand sliding around her throat. It traces the edge of the snake necklace as he kisses her, before he puts his hand back under the tablecloth. "Spread your legs, little minx," he demands, his breath searingly hot on her cheek.

She does, her breath stuttering as he bunches her dress up around her waist and hooks her knee over his to spread her even wider. His other hand slips down her side, fingers grazing the side of her breast lightly. Jane squeezes her eyes shut as blood slams into her cheeks again. Nobody may be watching, assuming Loki is even telling her the truth about his illusion, but old habits die hard it seems.

His hand slides up the inside of her leg aggressively. He's not taking any prisoners this time, apparently. Then Jane blinks as his hand slides back down to her knee. Not what she expected – surprise surprise.

"Such soft, lovely skin," he hums in her ear.

"Thank you," she replies in a low voice, fisting his shirt with one hand and digging the nails of her other hand into the cushion of the banquette again.

"You have no idea," he continues, "How badly I want to tear the rest of your garments from you, lay you out on this table, and slowly savour the perfume and salt of your womanhood."

Jane clenches her jaw tightly to prevent the loud gasp that wants to escape. He won't, she's pretty sure he won't. "If this world domination thing doesn't work out for you, I think you may be able to have a solid career as a phone sex worker," she observes saucily, even as the drawn-out war between desire and modesty continues to rage within her.

He laughs silkily in her ear, then takes her mouth in another searing kiss, his hand still stroking her inner leg, teasingly slow, up and down. She doesn't even realize she's squirming, her body practically begging him. Her brain might be split, wanting and _not_ wanting, but her flesh only wants one thing – him, inside her. Now.

Her muscles pulse and spasm, the heat inside her becoming nearly unbearable. "Please," she begs him. "Please, Loki, I need-" her throat closes on the last few words as she battles herself, but he shows her some mercy at last.

"Of course, my love," he answers, pulling her head into his shoulder to muffle her noises as he finally brushes his fingers against her wet curls. She shudders and her hips buck, her legs spreading even wider apart of their own accord.

Loki's teeth graze her collarbone, one hand squeezing her tight to him to hold her squirming body still as he explores her freely, dipping between the slickened folds. But he doesn't touch her clit, and Jane grinds her teeth, caught between delight and frustration.

She drops her hand to rub it over the straining bulge in his pants, and he hisses but doesn't relent. He works a single finger inside her, slowly and deliberately, and though Jane's head rolls back limply on her neck he cups the back of her skull with his free hand and pulls her face back to his, devouring her soft cries as the hand between her legs thrusts slowly in and out.

He pauses his motions only long enough to spill more dirty words in her ear. "How hard your nipples are," he whispers. "I can see them pressing eagerly against your clothes. How I want to strip them bare and taste them, _bite_ them right now." He bites her earlobe instead, though not very hard. His lewd words whip the inferno inside her higher, and Jane feels her control slipping. She wants to whimper and gasp and keen, and to do it _loudly_.

She's so close, she realizes dimly short moments later, sweat beading on her face and neck, heat gathering all over her body. If he just touches her clit, right now, she'll almost certainly-

Instead, he withdraws his hand from her, letting it rest stickily on her knee. His other hand is still on the back of her neck, making slow soothing circles in the damp hair at her nape. Jane shakes her head like a wet dog, her thoughts scattered, her entire body throbbing, aching with _need_.

"Loki, _please_," she says, not even really aware of what she's saying.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet, woman. Be most assured of _that_. Do you wish a moment to cleanse yourself before we leave?"

It seems to take Jane a long while to process what he'd said. "Sure, OK, just- just a second."

She starts to slide off the banquette, but he catches her wrist. "You are not allowed to bring yourself to climax in there," he says sternly. "If you try to satisfy yourself without my bidding, be also assured that I _will _know….and I will be forced to punish you most severely."

Jane shakes her head numbly. "Yeah, OK. I wasn't- wasn't even thinking of that."

Satisfied, he nods and releases her, but she can feel him _watching_ her as she totters back to the restroom.

She cleans herself up as best she can, splashes more water on her face and rakes her damp hair back with her fingers.

Yes, she is _so_ not thinking about anything to do with bridges or Tony Stark right now. Clever, kinky Loki.

He's standing in front of their table when she returns, taking her hand wordlessly. He doesn't even wait til they're outside; they're back in her apartment and he is scooping her up effortlessly into his arms before Jane knows what hit her.

Her logical brain is still trying to get back in the game – force of habit, maybe – and it poses the logical question: Did Loki pay for their meal? And if so, did he pay them in Asgardian gold? Jane has to giggle at the mental image of the perplexed waiter accepting a handful of coins.

Loki deposits her carefully on her bed, but adds to Jane's confusion when he doesn't join her. Instead, he uses his magic to slide a chair from the living room across the floor and to the foot of her bed, and he settles into it. He pulls off his dress shoes and stretches his long legs diagonally across a lower corner of her mattress. He looks like someone who's about to settle in to watch a movie-

"Tell me whose you are," he demands, his eyes dark and ravenous.

Jane blushes all over again – oh yes, you'd definitely think her skin would be tired of that response by now – but her voice is strong and steady when she answers. "Yours." Impishly, she can't resist adding: "And you are _mine_."

He half-smiles at that, but his eyes still smoulder darkly. He reaches up the bed and slips each shoe off her foot, his touch lingering warmly, and then his gaze becomes cunning.

"Pull your dress up around your waist," he orders.

Jane shakes her head slightly and bites her lip, obeying slowly.

"Don't be shy, my lovely one," he encourages her. "I have seen every inch of you before…and now I want to see again."

Jane gradually pulls her dress up, very aware that she's still wearing no panties. His intense gaze makes her want to squirm. She needs to level the playing field, just a little. "And I want to see _you_," she demands. She's exposed while he's covered up from neck to toe...déjà vu all over again.

"Do you?" he asks. "Well then, I shall make you a proposal, Jane Foster of Midgard. Show me how you pleasure yourself, and I will allow you to do the same with me."

Jane starts shaking her head almost by reflex alone. "Look, I, uh…I'm not used to doing things like this, OK? I'm not sure I can-"

"Not sufficient? Hm, perhaps I need to make it easier for you in a different fashion," he replies. He pulls the scarf from around his neck, balls it up and tosses it between her spread legs. "Blindfold yourself. Then you will not see me watching you."

Jane stares down at the scarf for a long moment.

"Or," Loki says regretfully, "I could merely hold you in my arms for the remainder of the evening. Perhaps you are not in fact interested in bedding me tonight." He stands.

"No!" Jane says, her previously-cheated lust rising to the fore again. Before she can change her mind, she wraps the scarf around her eyes and ties it firmly into place.

She can hear the creak of him sitting down again. And then the rasp of a zipper going down. "You will forgive me, I trust, if I attend to myself regardless?" he asks, his tone teasing.

"No- I mean, yes. Sure," Jane stammers.

"I thank you, my love. Please begin," he says.

Jane bites her lip, spreading her legs a bit wider, digging her nails into the soft bedspread.

"More," he says softly. "Let me see all."

She does, slowly. Then freezes, a blinded deer in the headlights.

There's a long, heavy silence.

"Truly, you are entirely a prisoner of your upbringing," Loki says, and she can tell he's shaking his head just by the reproaching tone in his voice. "Would it be easier for you if I direct you?"

Jane swallows with difficulty. "I guess so."

His next words are clipped, commanding. "Open your dress. Now."

Jane does, feeling inexplicably relieved.

"Now remove your breast-binding."

She takes her dress off completely, then the bra, tossing both away. She's not sure why this is easier for her, but it is. She's still on display, but her audience is hidden, and she is doing _his _bidding, not revealing herself. But what would be so bad about revealing how she likes to touch herself?

She doesn't know the answer to that question.

She hears him shift in the chair. Is he stroking himself? She tries to picture it in her mind.

"Caress yourself," is his next order. "Start at your throat. Then slide your hands down."

Her hands are chilly when she tilts her head back on the pillows and allows her fingertips to stroke down the sides of her neck. She lets them skim along her collarbones, then down the top of her chest, finally reaching the starting swells of her breasts.

"Cup yourself," he commands, and she does.

"Your nipples are already tight, my dear. Do they ache to be touched?"

Jane whimpers a little. "Y-yes."

"Good. Do so. Tease them."

Driven by need, she pinches and tugs each nipple, lightly at first, and then harder. Her hips twist against the bed and she feels growing wetness between her legs.

"Lovely," he says in an approving growl, which spurs Jane to roll her nipples between her fingers, to wriggle down a little further on the bed. Her pulsebeat races, and she can feel the heat climbing through her, gathering now in her chest and face as well as in her belly and core.

"Now slide your hands lower."

She does, after giving each nipple a final squeeze. She sweeps each hand down either side of her belly, brushing over the slight rise of her navel, and finally stops, each hand caressing the little creases on either side of her sex.

"Wider," he rumbles urgently. "I want to _see_, I told you."

Jane doesn't even hesitate to comply. It doesn't even seem to matter any longer if it's her hands or his. She aches and she _needs_.

She spreads her thighs as wide as she comfortably can.

"Much better, my wanton little vixen. Now part those lovely petals and show me _all _as you please yourself."

She whimpers but obeys again. She's soaking and slippery, her head tilting back on the pillows once more and her breath caught in her throat as she follows the edges of each fold, then strokes tiny circles on the inner surface of each. She starts to slip her fingers up towards her clit-

"No," he barks, voice like a lash. "Place those fingers inside you instead. I will attend to the centre of your pleasure…when it suits me."

Christ, he's _evil_. Fleetingly, she considers disobeying, but pushing two fingers deep inside herself feels good enough for the moment. She moves them in and out quickly, though she stops sometimes to rub them against sensitive places on her inner walls.

Blinded behind the scarf, she loses herself to pleasure, forgetting where she is and that anyone is watching. Forgetting even his command, her thumb slips across her swollen little bud, and she shudders, right at the edge of the abyss-

He catches her wrist instantly and stills her hand. "I-I'm sorry," she stutters, realizing too late her mistake. He's naked to the waist now – when did that happen? – and she can feel his warm flesh pressed against her hot damp skin.

He leans to her ear, soft hair brushing over her face and cheek. "I am sure you are. And I am loathe to punish you when you are working so hard to please me. You have no idea," he adds in a lower, even more intimate tone, "how beautiful you are right now."

Jane's not sure what to say to that. "Uh, thank you?"

"Hm," is his answer. A second later she can feel him moving on the bed, probably kneeling between her legs, and he gently tugs her fingers out from inside her…and puts them into his mouth instead. Jane moans as he sucks and licks her hand clean. When he slides his tongue between each finger, Jane could swear she feels it between her legs instead, and she whimpers again. "Please," she groans.

He laughs softly. "Begging already?" She feels his weight shift over to one side of the bed, but he doesn't release her hand.

Jane blinks in surprise as he starts to wind a rope around her wrist. There's no magical snakes-into-ropes trick this time, no holding her down just by magic. No, this feels like a conventional rope, and he's taking his time, winding it unhurriedly around her limb, making sure it isn't too tight, and then securing her arm to the bedframe.

He moves across her, chest brushing across her stiff nipples, and does the same thing to her other wrist. "You must think me so cruel," he comments softly as he binds her, "making you wait. But the rewards will be great."

Jane's throat works but nothing intelligible forms in her head. He kisses her gently, then moves to bind her ankles to each corner of the bed in the same leisurely, almost relaxed fashion.

She can feel the heavy bulge of him pressing into her thigh as he leans over her again. He's still wearing his pants, and Jane tries to brace herself for more slow teasing torture.

"Loki, please," she groans again. _How can he still smell like leather when he isn't wearing any?_ her distracted brain asks.

"Hush," he kisses her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. His weight shifts and he presses a kiss into the palm of one of her imprisoned hands, then more slow, wet kisses trail down her arm, right down to a breast.

She arches as much as she can into his touch, as he nips and suckles lightly on one nipple, his hand toying with the other.

He slips down even further, and Jane can't stop a sigh of relief when he settles between her helpless legs. Surely _now_ he'll touch her, tease her clit, let her come-

But there's only a single soft swipe of his tongue along the entrance to her body, and then he is off the bed completely. Jane groans out a couple choice curses, and then a few new ones she makes up on the spot just for the occasion. She can feel sweat trickling down her temples and under her arms, the ache between her legs throbbing painfully. He's going to kill her with frustration, that's all there is to it.

She hears him leave the room, and Jane tugs hard on her bonds, confused and now a little nervous as well. What is he up to?

She's pretty sure she hears the door to the apartment open and then close again after a long moment, and she stiffens. That…can't be good. Did he leave her like this, helpless and alone?

But no, there's a rustle of cloth back at the foot of the bed, and then Loki circles around to the side, sitting on the edge and leaning over her.

"My dear Jane," he says, his voice taking on a velvety note, "I promise I will see to your needs. But first, I wish you to yield to me completely. To do something we spoke of earlier this night." Gentle fingers trace the slope of her breast then flick lightly at her nipple, and Jane groans.

She furrows her brow, struggling to remember despite the distraction he's providing. To let him turn female and have sex with her? To use one of his Asgardian toys? Honestly at this point she thinks she'll agree to anything, if he'll just let her finally fucking _come._

"Yes, yes, goddamn it," she says, before her brain can stop her mouth. "Please, just don't tease me any-"

That's when a _second_ pair of hands touches her. They settle firmly on her inner thighs, stroking.

Jane shrieks in surprise and jerks against her bonds, but she can't escape. Her eyes open wide, uselessly pleading behind the blindfold. She's totally naked and open and exposed, at the mercy of Loki and…a stranger.

"Loki," she speaks shakily around the lump in her throat, "please, I can't-"

"But you _agreed_, my love," he points out, his tone reasonable and soothing. He rolls her nipple gently and leans down, lips feathering across her ear.

Jane is quaking now, adrenaline coursing through her system. She tries to block out the sensation of the hands on her legs, still caressing her, and of Loki's hand still playing with her breast, trying to _think_. "Not fair-" she argues. "I didn't know what I was agreeing to!"

"Are you resisting because you are afraid of harm, or resisting because _you think that you should_? If it is the former, fear nothing," he says softly, his hand smoothing wet strands of hair away from her face and neck. "As I said earlier, I would never select any partner whom I believed capable of harming you in any way. In fact, I have informed my 'ally' of the techniques which will best please you, and what manner of things you do _not _enjoy. And if it is the latter, that you are resisting because of your upbringing, well…we discussed that at length earlier. Have you not enjoyed yielding to me thus far this night?"

Jane's voice shakes, but she's not going to start lying now. "Yes," she admits softly.

"This is a challenge for you, but it is no different than anything else we have done this night. Or indeed, any _other _bedgame that we have played so far."

He's right, of course. How many times has he pushed close to her limits? Covering her with snakes, hunting her through an illusory forest, having sex with her on a dream-throne while a dream-Thor watches, seducing her and binding her in the SHIELD jail?

He's probably thinking of the same acts.

"One constant remains: I have never harmed you. Nor do I intend to start now. So, show me that your trust in me is total; surrender yourself completely to us." He presses kisses along the line of her jaw, even as the other person's hands caress her softly, moving up her trembling legs.

_I trust him, I _do_,_ she thinks. _But this…this is…_If she says no, he'll stop, she knows he will. But does she really want him to? How many other opportunities will she have to do something so wild and, well, _different _from how she normally acts?

"What is your decision, my dear?" Loki asks. His hand is still cupping her breast, and his other arm must be braced on the pillows over her head; she can feel his fingers lightly caressing her hair. He exhales against her damp neck, and the coolness makes her want to squirm.

She turns her head blindly towards him. "You'll stop if I want you to? If I change my mind later?" she asks, voice still weak and shaky.

He kisses her. "Of course, my Jane. That also is constant. Does that mean you are agreeing, then?"

"Yes," she replies softly. Then she tilts her head back, offering up her neck. Offering _everything_.

He growls something low against her throat, teeth pressing into her skin, though not hard enough to mark her. Every nerve in Jane's body seems to come alight, hypersensitive to every touch as the _other_ hands slide to either side of her throbbing core.

Loki shifts lower, both hands now holding her breasts and pressing them together so he can move easily from nipple to nipple, suckling hard on each one, and Jane bucks and makes a strangled noise as the other hands between her legs splay her folds apart, and a fingertip circles her clit slowly, deliberately.

Fingers fill her, stimulate her, and something slick – tongue, thumb, she doesn't even know – finally, _finally_ gives her what she needs, massaging her clit. Every muscle inside and outside clenches and strains, and a long keen is pulled from her lungs as she comes so hard she nearly blacks out.

She's still panting and shuddering, slumped against her bindings when Loki speaks again. "Did you enjoy that, my dear?" She manages somehow to nod. "Good. But my ally and I barely got to _taste _you. We must rectify that."

They move around her, until Jane is no longer sure which is Loki and which is….who could he have brought in? Who does he trust _that _much?

_Thor?_ her brain asks. But she pushes that thought away. Even if it's true that Thor would never ever hurt her, she's sure Thor is the _last_ person in the universe whom Loki would want to share her with.

Four hands take possession of her, driving all logical thought away. They stroke her all over with gentle fingers, and soon Jane is squirming and straining again.

They do not speak, but somehow they coordinate their efforts; one mouth claims hers in a feverish kiss while the other nips and nibbles the side of her neck.

They switch their posts, and then they attend to her breasts, warmth and wetness bathing each nipple at the same time, and Jane writhes, overwhelmed.

Jane's felt something akin to this before, when Loki caressed her entire body with his illusory snakes. This is similar, if only just slightly less overstimulating. Too many pleasure-signals are crowding into her brain, shutting down all higher thought, turning her into one writhing, twisting, drowning collection of sensation.

The twin mouths nip hard and then soothe the pain away with gentler touches, their hands roaming all over her, exploring and testing, teasing. She's almost grateful that her sight is gone, and that the only sounds are of her noises, plus the occasional wet noise of a mouth on her skin, the muted dry noise of flesh rubbing against flesh…she's in full-on sensory overload as it is.

One solid male body shifts down and settles between her thighs, and the other stations itself around the level of her hips. She's not sure she's ever been so wet before.

"I see you are enjoying our attentions," Loki's voice drifts up to her, but she's not sure which of her partners is him. A gentle fingertip slips along her folds, spreading the slickness around, and her hips jerk.

They resume working her, and Jane's nails dig into her palms, her spine going rigid at the sensation of not one, but two famished mouths on her. One tongue twirls around her clit, pressing and lapping, and another mouth is lower, at the entrance to her body, licking her, slipping into her.

Hands spread her folds wider as they tease her relentlessly, and sensation pulses through her entire body, she feels hot and cold at the same time, and finally her entire body freezes – lungs, throat, muscles, skin – everything locked in an arched pose of total ecstasy, before she screams and dissolves into orgasm.

The delirium recedes, but slowly. She's free, her arms and legs no longer bound, but she's as pliable as a rag doll, unable to resist as they pose her the way they want. She's on her side now, one warm body pressed tightly against her back, an erection pressing into the back of her leg like a bar of pulsing steel.

Loki's voice sounds in her ear again. "I would wager you have at least one more climax to give this night," he chuckles, voice low and husky. He's the one behind her, as far as she can tell.

Jane blinks rapidly behind the blindfold, trying to restore some sense to her addled brain.

The stranger is still in bed with them; his body presses against her front, with strong, lean hands trapping her wrists against his belly. She can feel his arousal, too, the head pressed against her fingers, and he's just as turned on as Loki.

"Hold her still while I prepare myself," Loki orders the mystery guest. Jane feels Loki roll away from her, and then there's the familiar sound of foil ripping. She feels a small measure of relief; at least that aspect of their 'arrangement' hasn't changed.

Though an unsettling thought occurs – will Loki allow, or even demand, that the other man also have intercourse with her? The thought makes her shiver, torn between too many emotions to be able to even identify one.

Loki crowds against her back again, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to the side of her neck as his hand pulls her thigh upward. The person in front of her shifts his grip, holding her wrists firmly with one hand while his other slips between her thighs, parting her inner lips to ease Loki's way into her, his palm rubbing against her sweet spot and forcing a moan from her.

Loki thrusts hard into her, pushing her forward into the other man's chest, and Jane makes a noise that sounds rather like a squeal. Loki laughs in her ear and pulls out quickly, before thrusting back inside her just as ruthlessly.

Even if Jane wanted to resist coming again, it would be impossible. The stranger isn't idle, his mouth busy with her breasts, suckling and tugging. And as Jane's cries rise in pitch, his hand continues to rub her clit in firm circles that make her inner muscles clench even tighter around Loki.

She's seconds away from another bout of ecstasy when the stranger pulls his hand away, and Jane wants to shriek in frustration. But just then the blindfold is pulled from her eyes. She squints as she tries to focus. The face of the stranger in front of her is pale, dark-haired.

Oh my God, it's _Loki._

Somehow, he fooled her. It's the stranger who's deep inside her right now, still thrusting but at a less frantic pace-

Jane twists her head back to look over her shoulder at…another _Loki_.

"Wh-what the f-?" She can't even complete the sentence.

Both Lokis laugh. "Forgive me," purrs the one behind her, "but I have waited patiently all night to empty myself into that delectable quim of yours."

_Did he just say…_quim_? _Jane doesn't know whether to laugh or…well, _laugh._

Loki thrusts inside her again and all other desires are washed away. The Loki in front of her now strokes himself, watching hungrily, and then blows Jane's mind completely by positioning himself so the head of his cock is pressed against her clit. He rubs it against her in a way that forces every last rational thought right out of her mind, and as the Loki behind her goes rigid and grunts, releasing his passion at last, the Loki in front of her now presses the underside of his shaft between her legs, thrusting against her belly and stroking his shaft against her clit, and Jane's entire body seems to disappear. There's only spasm and heat and the boundaries between all of their bodies shifting and blending together into one.

Jane floats, blissfully, for a long time. When she opens her eyes at last – heck, she hadn't even realized they had been closed! – there's only one Loki in bed with her now, spooning with her, hands gently massaging her.

Slowly, lethargically, she turns until she can face him. "That was…" she shakes her head.

"Wonderful, dare I hope?" he asks, but smugly, hands caressing her back.

"Hell, _yes_. If you're trying to stop me from building my Bifröst by killing all my brain cells, I'd say that was a pretty effective means."

He snorts derisively. "Hardly. I am sure your intellect is quite safe." He pulls her firmly to him and rolls until she is cradled on his chest.

"That was quite a trick," she says sleepily.

"Indeed," he agrees. "A trick which is useful in more than one setting, I have found," he adds, though he does not elaborate.

"One thing I don't get, though - why bother opening the apartment door? And all that business about 'telling your ally what I like'? Why make me think it was another man-" Jane sits up and glares at him, though it's half-hearted at best. "Oh, I get it. Mind-fucking me."

He smirks. "God of Mischief, my love. I am afraid it comes with the territory."

Jane sighs, but he's right, isn't he? Her brain repeats the litany of things he's done that have tested her limits in the past: Covering her with snakes, hunting her through an illusory forest, having sex with her on a dream-throne…"Can I at least ask _why_?"

His arms tighten around her, draw her back down to him. She feels him shrug as he weighs his words. "Frankly, because I enjoy it. Also, in my vast experience momentary anxiety – a _small _amount – yields great rewards later. Do you deny that the tricks I pulled on you tonight did not add a touch of…spice? Did it not increase your pleasure, once you overcame your fear?"

Jane shakes her head and sighs. "No, I don't deny it. I just don't always find it…comfortable."

He's silent for another long moment. "This is who I am. However, as I also said, if you do not find pleasure in something we are doing, we need not do such again. I am nothing if not adaptable."

Jane shakes her head. "No, I'm not saying to change who you are. But maybe I'd like a little less of a…challenge next time?"

"Understandable. I do not require to play the trickster _all_ the time." His arms squeeze her a little tighter as he smirks down at her.

"You can do pretty much anything, can't you?" she asks. The realism of his clone had been…remarkable.

She can feel his answering shrug. "I am a master of magic and illusion. This you know. Though I admit, if put to it, that I much prefer to use my magic for …pleasurable pursuits, such as this one."

Jane smiles. "Despite the tough moments, I'm not complaining. Overall this was quite a memorable – and _enjoyable_ – celebration. Thank you."

"You are quite welcome." He pulls her up for a deep, slow kiss. "Sleep, my Jane."

That's one order she has absolutely no qualms about obeying.

Two days later Jane finds herself in New York, meeting with Tony Stark at his famed – and still under reconstruction – Stark Tower.

She still hasn't quite worked up the nerve to dress a little more casually, and it amuses her how Pepper gives her a slight nod of approval, while Tony looks equal parts amused and exasperated at her formal dress when they both meet her at the Tower's helipad.

"Dr. Foster," Tony says, shaking her hand. "Glad you could make it. Would you like the ten-cent tour?"

"Sure," Jane says with a grin.

"Then I'll just leave you in Tony's capable hands, if you don't mind," says Pepper. "I have a lot of work to do right now, and besides, I wouldn't want to get in the way of your tech-talk." She shakes hands with Jane, winks at Tony, and then strides away so confidently on her high heels that Jane envies her.

"Doctor?" Tony asks, holding his elbow out for her to take.

"I thought we were on first-name basis," Jane points out, doing just that.

"So we are," he remembers. "Jane, then."

The place is impressive, even if it's still only two-thirds rebuilt, though that only serves to remind Jane that _Loki_'s army had caused the damage.

If he is aware of her discomfort, Tony says nothing. Soon Jane is too delighted to dwell on the negative – the R&D department is a scientist's wet dream. So much space, so many computers, so many technicians…

"Wow, this is amazing!" she gushes, as they turn into another room. She stops dead, looking at the wall of Iron Man suits. He's brought her into his own personal lab space?

"Prototypes," he says almost dismissively, waving at them. "None of them actually work – I keep all of the _successful_ ones at my Malibu beachhouse. Can't bear to trash these ones, though – never know when tinkering with them might give me some new ideas."

Jane nods. "I've got a similar problem with old notes and equations, old equipment. You never know, right?"

Tony grins at her. "I'll bet the corners of your lab look like a tornado hit it."

Jane grins right back. "You have no idea. Until I hired Darcy, anyway. She may not get the science, but she knows how to _organize_, when she's motivated enough. Slipping on fallen papers and almost breaking her neck two or three times was enough for her."

"Maybe I should hire her, myself," Tony jokes. "Here, let me show you the room where you'll be working." He leads her to the elevator and they go down about two floors, then turn into a large room. It's at the edge of the Tower and so is ringed by windows, and there's already a whiteboard, a smartboard, and a bank of computers poised and apparently waiting for her.

"Jarvis!" Tony says loudly. "Say hi to our new colleague, Dr. Jane Foster."

"Doctor Foster," says a disembodied voice, its clipped tones eerily reminiscent of Loki's. "Welcome."

"That's Jarvis. He's the resident computer 'round here. You want to run a simulation or plot a planet's gravitational pull or whatever, Jarvis is your man. Well, sort of." Tony pats a bank of monitors almost fondly.

"OK," Jane replies.

"Here, I'll show you the interface. It's pretty user-friendly, though," Tony says, motioning her over.

It _is_ pretty easy. Even Jane, who isn't all that computer-savvy, knows how to talk and gesture after all.

There is one obvious thing missing from these rooms, though. "Can I ask you a question, Mr. Stark?"

"An uncomfortable one, I'd guess," he says, noticing her return to formality.

"It's just that, I kind of expected you might have Loki's portal – from the Battle of Manhattan – here. Or just a simulation of it on the computer? It _was_ a working model, and it could at least give me some idea as to whether I'm on the right track or not."

"SHIELD has it sequestered somewhere, hopefully in several thousand pieces. Honestly, Jane, I don't really like alien tech anyway. I prefer to rely on good ol' All-American know-how. I realize how easy it must be to second-guess yourself, especially after all the other scientists have been making fun of your ideas over the years-"

Jane feels her face turn predictably red. "It didn't help," she agrees. "It's a good thing I'm stubborn."

"Sure is," Tony says. "My Dad used to say the same about me. But anyway, my point is that I don't think you need the alien portal; I'll put my money on you and your theories regardless." He cocks his head. "Can I ask _you_ a probably-uncomfortable question?"

"OK," Jane says cautiously.

"Loki was the one who got Selvig to build him that portal. So why isn't he helping – if not _forcing_ – you?" Tony's question isn't accusing, but his eyes search her face shrewdly.

Jane frowns. "To be honest I…never really thought about that. We don't talk about my work that much, like I told you the other day. Up until recently I didn't even really _want_ to know what had happened back then, I guess." She shakes her head at how weak that sounds. "He was being…good to me, and I guess I didn't want to face the fact that he'd done evil, and therefore the possibility that the way he was being with me might all be an act. But once I heard him telling his story to Fury-" She stops and shrugs.

"I know how it sounds," she starts to say, resigned to the idea of Tony kicking her out then and there.

But he's shaking his head. "No, no judgment here. Lord knows I've made my share of bad decisions when it comes to relationships – I'm sure Pepper has a _list _of them somewhere."

Jane smiles a little. "Then again, I don't know if Loki really needs to build one for himself," she continues. "He managed to get here somehow from Asgard, even though we know their Bifröst isn't operational yet…._Wait_," Jane says as a new thought occurs to her: "Erik built Loki's portal once, so…couldn't he build it again?" _Would he want to? _asks the doubting little voice.

"SHIELD's tried, trust me. They asked, but Doc Selvig said he didn't remember squat. He tried anyway, I think, for a week or two, once Fury gave him some pep talk about world security or something, but no dice. Rumour is that Loki's magic wiped the Doc's memory of those key details after he was released from mind-control. Even if Loki had won the Battle, I doubt he'd want to chance having a single human around who was capable of bringing over reinforcements from Asgard."

Despite the fact that Jane believes in Loki, and believes him – _I do_, she insists to herself – she can't help wondering what would have happened to her had Loki won that day. Would he have razed every country to the ground until he'd found the base in Traunsee where SHIELD had tucked her away? And if he had captured her then, what would have been her fate at his hands?

The negative little voice laughs mockingly. _Not much different from now, maybe? Except he'd have kept you naked (or maybe in a metal bikini, à la Princess Leia) and chained up permanently on your knees. But who knows, probably you'd have_ liked _that._

Jane shoves the thought away and straightens her shoulders. "Well," she tries, keeping her voice calm and bright. "Maybe I should get started, then? As long as you still approve. I wouldn't blame you if you've changed your mind, Mr. Stark."

Tony studies her for a long moment, then smiles. "Like I said, I'll put my money on you. Shall we make arrangements to ship your research equipment and notes over here?"

Jane agrees, and they go to Pepper's office to work out the details, Jane silently reflecting to herself that she has some uncomfortable questions for a certain God of Mischief.

Also a fair share of guilt, because how much would Erik love to be in on this project, now that it might finally end up somewhere – _literally_? She really needs to go talk to him, to try to apologize to him again.

Jane has supper alone that night, her brain once again buzzing with excitement and details to work out. Tony wants Jane and Darcy to work out of Stark Tower, and though Jane had said yes earlier, now she wonders how exactly this will all work.

Darcy probably won't mind moving into Stark Tower for the duration – the furnished apartments Pepper had shown Jane had sure been impressive! – but Jane is less certain. She's just starting to get used to _this_ place. Heck, she hasn't even had a chance to fully unpack yet!

And there's also the problem of Loki.

Jane doesn't feel all that comfortable seeing Loki while literally under Tony's roof (isn't it the exact place where Loki had been defeated?), and she doubts Loki or Tony will be happy either.

But given neither Fury nor Tony had asked her to stop seeing Loki, Jane figures who or what she does on her own time is her business. She promised not to discuss the specifics of Stark-Foster with Loki, and that's fine, but that's as far as it goes.

After some thought, Jane supposes the best option would be to ask Loki if he is willing to use his teleportation magic to shuttle her between New York and Puente Antiguo each day. It's not ideal, but she thinks he'll like that idea better than only seeing her on weekends, or having to meet on Stark's territory.

She'll need to find a neutral place close to Stark Tower for them to meet up, and for Loki to teleport her to and from…could that work?

As the sky outside darkens, she knows she doesn't want to spend the rest of the night alone. But that means confronting Loki, and now not only does she have some uncomfortable questions for him, but there's also these new working arrangements to negotiate.

Finally she sighs and climbs up to the roof again. The light pollution in Puente Antiguo isn't as bad as in a big city, and she can pick out many of her favourite constellations quickly and easily.

This time she doesn't even need to summon Loki. Five minutes after she settles into her deck chair, there's that change in air pressure that she's become familiar with, and he's folding his tall bulk into the chair next to hers.

It's chilly in the desert at night, and she doesn't protest when he gently pulls her into his lap and wraps his arms around her.

"Another productive day?" he asks, his breath warming the crown of her head.

Jane nods slowly. Best to just jump in right away. Hasn't failed her yet, right? "Can I ask you something, Loki?"

He raises a brow. "Have I ever stopped you before?" he counters calmly.

"It's about the portal you had Erik build," she says quietly. His body stiffens against hers, but his voice sounds almost disinterested when he answers.

"Ask."

"If you know how to build one, why not…do it?"

"But I do _not_ know, my Jane. Like the Bifröst itself, such magic – or science, if you prefer – is beyond me. The knowledge given to Dr. Selvig came directly from the Tesseract itself."

Jane lets out a slow breath. It sounds reasonable to her. "The more I hear about this Tesseract, the happier I am that I never actually got to use it to fuel my Bridge. I'm no judge, but it sounds like the darkest of magic."

Loki shakes his head, hair brushing Jane's cheek. "The Tesseract is not evil. Like all magic, it is neutral. The nature of the magic depends on _who_ uses it."

"OK," Jane says slowly. Again, it seems logical. "Then how did _you_ get here without a Bifröst, if you didn't build your own portal?"

"Yggdrasil is full of hidden pathways, links between one place and the next, bends in space and time. They are not obvious to those without the sight to see them, but to a mage such as I…" Loki shrugs.

Jane nods and snuggles closer to Loki, staring up at the stars wheeling slowly overhead.

"What would you have done if you had won the Battle of Manhattan?" she asks softly after long minutes.

She feels him startle a little at her question. "I would not have. I saw to it."

"But if you had?" she pressed gently. Why does she care so much? Because she wants so badly to hear him say that ultimately he never would have hurt her, regardless of the circumstances under which they first met?

"I would _not_ have. Your Doctor Selvig was there, conveniently poised near the portal to turn it off once someone – even me, surreptitiously, if necessary - prized him from the grip of the staff. Or the metal man with whom you are working would have realized the power in his heart-star is sister enough to the Tesseract's power to close the gate. Perhaps Thor would have found a way to close the gate, or murdered all who came through it. Or," Loki hesitates, as if he can predict her objection, "your Midgardian authorities would have unleashed their weapons on the city. One bomb alone was enough to destroy the source of the Chitauri army. I am sure it would have done much the same on the Midgardian side of the portal."

"And everyone would have died," Jane protests sharply.

Loki gives a long-suffering sigh. "One city lost, but your planet saved. I know that does not please you. Nor would it have pleased me, in truth, but sometimes we must do what is necessary, rather than what is preferable." He shakes his head, then catches her chin and looks her directly in the eyes. "I was forced to leave many things to chance – I had no choice – but in the end, there were many avenues through which my defeat was assured. So no, I will not speculate what I would have done with my victory – it was never to come to pass."

"OK," Jane agrees. "I was…just wondering."

It sounds lame in her ears, but Loki nods and seems satisfied. He pulls her closer, and they stare up at the stars again. Jane wonders if Loki can somehow see Asgard, or would even want to. Is he starting to think of Earth as his home?

Or perhaps a better question is: _Could_ he?

_Speaking of home_- "There's something else we need to talk about. Stark wants me to work in New York for the foreseeable future…"

Jane slinks across the stage, moving her hips in time to the music. The lights glare into her eyes so that she can barely see her audience, but it doesn't matter. _He_ is here again, and he's really the only person she's dancing for.

He's been here every night since she can remember. Dark suit, white shirt, pale skin. Black hair, slicked back but curling at the ends, as if his hair is trying to escape confinement. She's never heard his voice, but those dark eyes speak volumes to her as they watch her gyrations so closely.

She's wearing a schoolgirl outfit for this particular performance. She grasps the pole and swings herself slowly around, then comes to a stop in front of Dark Suit, as she has come to call him in her mind. She twirls a pigtail and pops a button on her white blouse, ignoring the catcalls and whistles from all the other faceless patrons in the audience. They seem to recede and fade, until there's only _him_.

She opens another two buttons, slowly, meeting his eyes as she gets down on her knees and crawls slowly towards him, in time to the slow pulse of the music, her sultry gaze matching his smouldering one.

His gaze tracks down her face, then lower, getting an eyeful of cleavage. She watches the way his tongue darts out to moisten his thin lips.

She crawls forward until she's almost at the edge of the stage, then she sits back on her heels, unbuttoning the shirt completely. Smirking, she tosses it to Dark Suit. He catches it easily, a leer on his handsome face now.

Jane rises and walks slowly back to the middle of the stage, timing each gliding step to the music. She hooks her leg around the pole and spins around it once more, then stops and leans her back on the pole as she gradually lowers the zipper of her little pleated miniskirt.

She drops it on the ground and turns away from the audience, moving her hips in a slow wide circle, making sure Dark Suit gets a good view of her emerald green lingerie before she starts to remove that.

She turns to face the front again, then sashays slowly towards him. May as well give Dark Suit a good close-up view.

Elegantly, he pulls something out of his jacket pocket and holds it up. Smirking, Jane lets him tuck it into the top of her black stocking, noticing how dexterous those pale, long fingers are.

She glances down and notices it's not money, though. _Huh?_

The lights and music suddenly cut out, leaving her in total silence and darkness. She turns, disoriented, and then finds herself alone backstage, not knowing how she got there. Blinking in the dim lighting, she pulls the slip of paper out of her stocking and opens it to reveal a note written in an elaborate script: 'May I request the pleasure of a private dance? – Loki'.

The thought of doing that for _him_ makes desire spike in her belly. And just as she thinks it, there she is in the private room. There's a padded chair, but also a padded booth and a small table, and there sits Dark Suit – no, _Loki_ – himself. Slouched down, legs spread wide, and his eyes devouring her every move.

"My lady," he says, inclining his head towards her. Such overblown manners, even when it's obvious from the heat in his gaze and the restless twitch in his hands that he _wants_ her.

She smiles and struts over to stand between his legs. "Loki," she says, tasting the strange name in her mouth. She lets her thigh brush against his, then bends until their faces are level – given his height, even seated, Jane doesn't need to bend very much at all.

She leans to his ear, letting their cheeks graze against each other. "I've seen you around more than once," she whispers. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough to kindle a fire in my loins which only you can extinguish," he purrs roughly. "If you so choose, of course, Jane."

She furrows her brow as she pulls back – did someone tell him her real name? – but she shakes her head as she goes to turn on the music. Something slow, low, and sultry. She decides she doesn't care that he knows her name. He's dangerous, yes, but somehow not in _that _way.

Jane stalks slowly back to Loki, placing light hands on his knees and sliding them slowly up along his thighs. His fingers press into the cushions on either side of him, his dark gaze stopped on her cleavage again.

She turns and seats herself in his lap, pressing herself back against the bulge in his pants, moving her hips in tight circles. She flips her hair back, well aware of how it will fall, light and ticklish over his head and face, and she pretends not to notice how his hands are now on her hips, warm and grazing lightly over the bones. The fire banked within her is building fast.

She wheels and faces him again, their faces inches apart. "I don't always take my clothes off in private dances. But I want to, this time. Can I trust you to be a gentleman?"

He laughs softly. "That would depend on your definition of 'gentleman', would it not? If you mean, will I be able keep my hands to myself? Unlikely. If you mean will I make you peak so hard that you will see constellations you never before imagined, then yes. But again, only if you so choose." His eyes glitter dangerously at her, threaten to consume her whole.

Jane swallows hard but she can't deny she wants this. Moth to a flame, and she _wants_ to be consumed.

She doesn't answer him, not verbally, but she walks a pace or two away and reaches behind her, unhooking her bra and tossing it to him. It almost undoes her when he lifts it to his nose and breathes in the scent of her skin, his eyes burning into hers.

"Come here," he says, his voice a gravel-edged purr that makes her want to go to her knees.

So she does, crawling back toward him, though it's more like a prowl. Strong hands wrap around her upper arms like manacles as soon as she is close enough, and she is lifted into Loki's lap as if she is no heavier than a feather.

Rough hands find her breasts as they kiss, rolling and squeezing her nipples, her moans muffled by his tongue. His hands are colder than she expects, and her nipples throb.

He doesn't just break the kiss; he grabs her shoulders and pulls them roughly apart, his teeth scraping against her as he starts kissing (if it could be called that) her neck. Jane moans and twines her fingers in his hair.

He does the same to her, catching her hair and pulling it enough to cant her head back at an almost-uncomfortable angle as his mouth sears its way down her breasts.

He nips each one, then he picks her up with an inhuman speed and puts her down on the room's small table. His eyes rake down her body, lingering on the bruises adorning her neck. Jane feels a sharp tug and gasps, her panties coming apart as he ruthlessly rips them from her.

Loki pulls the table closer to the banquette, then sits down and pulls on her hips until his face is positioned between her quivering thighs. He trails a single finger down the length of her sex, from clit to her entrance. "So very wet for me," he murmurs huskily, barely allowing Jane time to even out her breaths before he buries his head between her legs.

Her head hangs off the edge of the table, her nails digging into cheap wood veneer as he works her hard. He sucks on her clit, over and over, pulling it briefly into his mouth and letting it go each time. Jane pants and twists, but he won't let her escape the agonizing pleasure. Then he takes the little nub in his mouth and sucks on it while flicking his tongue around it, gently at first but then more aggressively, long fingers applying pressure from inside her, and noise spills from her arched throat.

He stops just as her muscles start to tighten. "Not yet," he snarls. "I want to feel your body clench around me." Jane struggles to raise her head as there is the unmistakable rasp of a zipper going down, but her neck muscles are too weak.

A strong hand wraps around the back of her neck, supporting her and pulling her closer to him as he pushes hard inside her. She cries out and his gaze shifts from their joining to her face, scorching her like burning embers.

He shoves inside her, over and over, one hand still around her neck like a collar, the other reaching between them to play with a nipple here, to press her clit there, and she can't stop her climax even if she wanted to, waves of fire racing through her, building, cresting-

As she falls screaming over the edge she realizes he was right – she _is_ seeing stars-

Jane wakes sweaty and disoriented, blinking at the darkness around her. She first notices the headboard of the bed – _her_ bed, she realizes, as sanity returns – then she fumbles for her watch under the pillow. 3:02am. She turns and looks to her side, expecting the bed to be empty of anyone except her.

But no, a pale, firmly-muscled chest meets her gaze. Loki hasn't left, he's still here, and he seems to be asleep. His face is more relaxed, vulnerable, and calm than it ever is when he's awake. There's something so sad about that.

She resists the urge to touch him and disturb that peace. Unless- is he faking? Her dream comes back to her with a clarity that makes her tingle.

He had invited her to come up with fantasy scenarios for them to enact, and now here she is, dreaming of stripping and dancing for him? It can't be a coincidence, can it?

But if he is awake and messing with her dreams, he is playing the sleeper very well – or has an amazing illusion over himself – with his deep, slow breaths, even a mild little snore here and there.

Then Jane wonders if it's possible that he is somehow, even asleep, influencing her dreams. But he seems too calm, too relaxed to have just been participating in such a wild dream. Not that Jane is an expert on such things. Still, she can't resist peeking under the covers. No, he's not even slightly aroused….again, unless what she's seeing is illusion.

She shakes her head at herself. Will she ever get over doubting him? She's started to get annoyed about that even with herself.

Jane rolls over and tries to turn her thoughts to other things. Well, anything except the Stark-Foster Project, because thinking about that will no doubt wreck any chance of getting any more sleep that she has.

She finds herself thinking instead about the dream, replaying it in her mind. Dare she ask him to create that kind of scenario?

Jane considers it for a long moment, but then shakes her head again. As intriguing as it would be, she's just not that confident! No illusion in the world is going to erase her natural awkwardness and turn her into some slinky sex kitten. And, hot dream aside, that's not a role that has ever really appealed to her.

There have to be other things she can suggest. Yes, maybe one of the ideas he floated in the restaurant. Or maybe something related to Norse mythology? That could be interesting, and it would kill two birds with one stone – not only would she get ideas for bedroom play, but it would give her something else to talk about with Loki, something _safe_. She's pretty sure he'll enjoy picking apart the human versions of these myths, telling her everything that's wrong about them, and maybe in telling her what's _right_, she'll learn more about him and Asgard.

Yes, she definitely needs to do some _research_ on this. That is, after all, what she does best.

Loki materializes in the desert a short distance from what he has come to think of as 'Jane's city'. It is early morning, and though Jane has much work to do this day at her laboratory, in preparation to work with the metal man, Loki knows she is not there, not yet.

She'd said she was going to go and speak to Selvig first, and though it is tempting to listen to them, Loki turns his attention away from her just as she knocks at the door of Selvig's current abode in the city.

Loki checks his warning-spells methodically, but as usual finds nothing. No sign of alien magic, no sign of the Chitauri. His warning-spells are silent once again.

He sighs and seats himself on a nearby rock, gazing out at the arid expanse of the desert.

Too curious to resist, he stretches his senses back towards Jane again, then he frowns darkly, feeling her agitation. She and Selvig are arguing. It is too difficult to keep from listening in:

"_You know what he is, Jane. He's evil. He concocted some pretty story to lull us all, but I was his slave for _months_. He's not to be trusted."_

"_Erik, please. He's _done_ evil, but that doesn't necessarily mean he _is_ evil. Everyone does the wrong thing sometimes. Maybe it's just when you're a god, the fallout is that much bigger when you screw up. He's never done anything to hurt me-" _

"_Will you listen to yourself?! Even the most lovesick fool-"_

Loki sighs heavily and turns his attention away as the yelling continues. He cannot blame Selvig for not trusting him, but he does not like the effect Selvig's anger is having on Jane.

He tries to force his mind to other thoughts, but alas, he has little else to think about!

Though he cannot expect Jane to share every moment of her days and nights with him, he finds little else to occupy his time with these days. He's uncharacteristically adrift, and though in one sense it is restful, not having to scheme and keep track of multiple lies, in another sense it can be wearyingly _boring_.

Pulling pranks on humans does not really entertain him, as it is far too easy. This is not aided by the fact that he suspects if Jane knew, it would lessen her opinion of him. He's not certain what concerns him most about that – her opinion of him, or the fact that he _cares_ about her opinion of him.

His awareness drifts back to Jane and Selvig again.

Jane is apparently trying another tack: _"Could we forget about Loki for a second? I'm here to ask you to work on the portal with me. Let's share this moment in scientific history, Dad would've wanted that-"_

"_Please, Jane! Think about what you are saying! Loki forced me to build him that thing so he could bring his army through to destroy our world. Now you're going to build another one, and what makes you think that the first time you open it, Loki won't have another army waiting on the other side again! Your father would be _appalled_ that you are even _considering_-"_

"_Even if you don't trust my judgment these days, what about Thor's? He left Loki here with me. He knows Loki and I are together, and he's allowing it to happen. Heck, I think he even gave Loki his blessing. Thor is fine with Loki being here, and Fury and Stark are both cooperating with me to build this portal. You really think Loki is mind-controlling all three of them…_and _me?"_

Jane is yelling now, and Loki grimaces and turns back to continue his original line of thought:

As pleasurable as it is, he cannot spend all his time planning new depravities to visit upon Jane. Still, his last lecherous scheme had been well-received by her, despite her momentary fears…he savours the memory of the look on her face when she'd realized she was in bed with two _hims_! Truly, such are the only pranks he thoroughly enjoys pulling these days.

But no, other than dreaming up new bedroom acts, there is not much else for him to do, so in the absence of a need to scheme, he has spent the rest of his recent days reverting to another old pastime of his: _spying_. He has tried to resist watching Jane as much as possible, spending most of his time watching the mortals of SHIELD instead. Though he suspects Jane would also not approve of either of _those _activities.

However, SHIELD does not seem to be planning much of anything to do with him. Their paltry attempts to prepare themselves for a possible Chitauri attack in the future exasperate him, but as yet Fury has not allowed his pride to sink to asking Loki for help. Very well, it is theirchoice. Foolhardy as it is.

Loki _had_ watched Jane and Stark, so he had anticipated her probing questions. Her doubts grate at him, yet he knows he has little cause to complain. She has given him so much already, and all of it on faith.

He turns his attention back to her now. Jane seems calmer, but also despairing.

"_Will you break things off with him, then?"_

"_No, Erik. He needs me, and I need him." _

There's a pause, and Loki can imagine Jane choosing her next words carefully.

"_But I also need you. You're family. You've been my family since before Dad died, and especially after. Mom and I aren't speaking any more. Do we need to be estranged from each other over this?"_

Loki shifts uncomfortably, listening as Selvig's voice finally gentles.

"_No, I suppose not. But I need...time. I don't trust Loki, period. And frankly, I don't really trust Fury either, especially after he lied about Coulson. I am here for you, Jane. But not when it comes to anything to do with Loki, and that means the portal. Working on it would be helping _him_, and I can't do that. If you manage to get it to work, and you open a way to Asgard and Odin himself walks through to greet humanity and pat Loki on the back, then I'll eat my words. But until that day…"_

A silence hangs between the two mortals, and Loki is unable to turn away.

"_I don't trust Fury either. But I'm making this portal for _me,_ not anyone else. And working with SHIELD is the only way I can make all those years of hard work with no support _mean_ something. I wish you were involved, but I won't stop if you refuse. Please understand though, Erik, that I love you."_

Uncomfortable all over again without truly knowing why – Jane's love for Selvig is not a threat to their arrangement, Loki _knows_ this - he jerks his attention away once more, staring out across the desert.

He'd told Jane that he did not wish to bring pain to her, but it seems that he is doomed to do so, no matter how good his intentions.

Jane slowly closes the door of Erik's apartment behind her and walks in the direction of the lab, her first few strides slow and halting as she wipes tears from her cheeks.

_Well, that is_ not _how I wanted things to go_, she sighs to herself.

Still, her words to Erik – that she loved him, that he was family to her – seemed to have struck a chord. Maybe she just needs to wait, give him a week or two, and then try reaching out to him again. There's no harm in trying, anyway.

She takes a few deep breaths and tries her best to calm herself. She has a lot of things to organize this morning, and no more time for distractions.

But as she makes her way to the edge of town and turns towards the lab, Jane is suddenly surprised to realize that, except for her problems with Erik, she actually feels..._happy_.

Before Thor, when it had just been her and Darcy, and sometimes Erik when he was visiting, Jane would have described herself as content. But now, with proof that other worlds exist, with her portal on the verge of being built and maybe even _functional_, and with things with Loki getting better all the time…yes, she's actually happy, for the first time in a long time.

_Happy_.

Smiling now, Jane walks past her old trailer, making a mental note to follow up with Izzy and her potential buyer as soon as possible. At least Loki had agreed to Jane's notion to teleport her to and from Stark Tower every workday, so that's one living arrangement issue seen to.

Jane checks her watch. Darcy should be here within the hour, which will hopefully give Jane some time to decide which notes are key to take, and to start to set aside some of the smaller instruments and equipment she plans to take to Stark Tower-

Jane freezes, staring out past the lab. There's a strange, prickly feeling in the desert air. What's going on?

The sounds from the town behind her seem oddly muted, and her heartbeat too loud in contrast.

It's almost like what happened when Loki and Thor fought, but instead of seeing something, this time she _feels_ something. Jane frowns darkly; are they at it again? She walks quickly behind her trailer to the place they fought, but the sensation fades away. She returns to her original position, and the sensation grows stronger again as she does so. Curious, she continues walking, changes course every time the sensation weakens again. She is soon walking away from the lab, deeper into the desert. She doesn't know how long she walks for, but soon she can no longer see Puente Antiguo when she turns and looks behind her. Jane stops dead at that point, feeling like every hair on her body is standing on end.

_What the hell is going on? Is it Lok-_

Jane is wrenched up bodily from the ground and straight up into the air, the force of it making her head snap painfully forward on her neck.

And she doesn't stop.

For a fascinated moment, Jane watches the ground fall away from beneath her, getting smaller and smaller in an insane reverse skydive. There's no sound but the rushing of the wind past her ears and her own gasping breaths. She's being held by what feels like a net or a blanket wrapped around her – but when she tears her eyes from the sight below her, she sees nothing on and around her but empty air.

Then the fear hits and Jane screams at the top of her lungs. Nothing changes, she doesn't stop or slow, and Jane screams again, her body twisting and struggling even though part of her brain is screaming at her to stop- _If you get free, you fall and you die! You DIE! _But whatever is holding her is too strong.

Some tiny, distant part of her still wonders if Loki is doing this, pulling some new mind-fuck. If any second now he'll materialize in mid-air and smile at her and somehow make this seem OK.

But as the ground gets even smaller, the air becomes thinner and thinner, and as black spots start to crowd out Jane's vision and blood begins to drip from her nose, she thinks that no, this can't be Loki.

Mercifully, Jane's body chooses that moment to pass out.

Loki has no warning whatsoever. One moment, he is idly following Jane's slow progress towards her lab, and wondering how he will fill the endless idle moments until she is done working on her portal for this day.

The next, there is a circle of Chitauri standing around him. Perhaps twenty of them.

They snarl and point their weapons, but even taken unawares (rare enough as that is), Loki of Asgard is still a warrior and a mage.

A breath later, there are _two_ Lokis for every Chitauri, some standing in front and some behind the aliens.

Confused, the Chitauri run amok, firing fruitlessly at duplicates, though usually hitting their fellows instead. This gives Loki plenty of leisure to first teleport himself a safe distance away, then to conjure his golden plate armor, and finally to draw his daggers.

He cloaks himself in invisibility and then returns to the fray, leisurely picking off one-by-one any Chitauri who have thus far managed to escape massacre by their fellows.

When the last Chitauri grunts and gives up its pathetic life at the end of Loki's dagger, he gazes across the bloodied sand mounded with dead, and reflects that truly, he is not surprised that such were beaten by mere mortals.

Indeed, it is barely a victory to have vanquished such paltry warriors.

He supposes with a weary sigh that he will have to inform SHIELD of this happenstance. They will want to 'contain' it, no doubt. But at least they will call upon him for aid now, will they not? With this evidence of probable future alien attacks before them?

It may give him something else to do, to fill his days here.

Almost absently, he reaches out to sense where Jane is. She was surely too far away to even see this battle, let alone be affected by it-

He cannot _feel_ her.

Loki's eyes widen, and he reaches out with a stronger thread of magic, but the result is the same.

No Jane.

Emotion twists in his gut, sharper than any sword, but it is only once he teleports himself to her last known location that he is willing to identify to himself what it is.

Panic.

He shoves it aside, reaching for anger. It will serve him better. _Think, fool,_ he curses himself.

_Is it not a weakness, to love?_Thanos' voice purrs in his mind.

He shoves that thought viciously away, too. _Think. You should have sensed the Chitauri before the attack. You did not. Which can only mean-_

_Thanos. Or The Other. _

Loki discounts the first possibility entirely. Thanos would not deign to come down to Midgard just to steal Jane away. He prefers to sit in his throne and _watch _the chaos he creates.

No, it must be The Other. It is not a god, not like him and the others of Asgard, but in the universe from which it was spawned, it would certainly have been regarded as such. Though its magic is of a different kind from his, The Other is certainly powerful enough to have cloaked the Chitauri from Loki's warning-spells and sight, and to have kidnapped Jane.

He curses himself again for an arrogant fool. He'd relied on his cloaking spell above all, and in truth, his warning-spells had been cast merely as an afterthought. And yet, should he not have realized once Thor found him, that there must be holes in his cloak? If Thor had found him, certainly it stands to reason that The Other could have. And _had_.

_Jane distracted you,_ Thanos' voice whispers.

Loki clenches his fists. _No_. He had expected Thanos' forces to attack Asgard first. The Tesseract _was_ there, after all. Then Loki would have had some warning…

Nor had he considered that Jane could be a target. _He_ is the betrayer, the turncoat. So why should they punish anyone else? Still, he knows Thanos' ways all too well, and he rebukes himself for not considering this possibility, for never thinking they would attempt to use her against him. Had he been wise enough to forsee this, he would have taken better precautions, _protected _her, but now it is far too late

But then he chides himself. He does not yet know for sure that this is the work of The Other.

Carefully, Loki searches for some remnant of The Other's magic, and finds it almost immediately. With a slowly-growing sense of dread, he realizes the Chitauri he'd killed had been merely cannon fodder, a distraction while The Other went after its true target.

He is a fool indeed. Loki grits his teeth, impotent rage filling him like acid.

The Other _has_ Jane.

"_No_," Loki whispers in a dry rasp to the uncaring desert. The only thing that keeps him from _screaming_ it is the knowledge that The Other might hear, and laugh.

Panic rears its dark fanged head again, and it feels worse than any torture of Thanos' making.

Jane slowly comes to, even though she's pretty sure she'd rather not.

She's lying on a floor of jagged rock with strange noises all around her. Dry slitherings, metal scraping against metal, chitterings and growls and low laughing shrieks.

The air is thin here and hard to breathe. It tastes bad in her lungs as she struggles reluctantly to sit up. It's also dim, and her eyes fight to make out the sharp, unforgiving shapes of the rocky walls rising crookedly around her, an odd set of stairs hanging in mid-air to her left, defying gravity.

Without warning she is grabbed, her arms almost crushed in grips so painful she groans, and two beings haul her to her feet.

She blinks watering eyes and looks at them. Grey skin, grey armour…Chitauri; she recognizes them from all the SHIELD file photos and media coverage from the Battle of Manhattan that she's seen.

She's in _big_ trouble. This makes what happened with SHIELD seem like nothing more than a day at Disney World by comparison.

Jane's head throbs painfully and she can feel blood drying into a stiff film under her nose, and the aliens holding her arms are hurting her, so in all it takes her a few moments to notice that there's a third being now approaching them, shadowy and cloaked.

It crouches down to study her face-to-face, and Jane shudders to realize it has no _eyes_, just cloth wrapped around the top half of its face, and a thing like a golden cage covering the lower half.

It speaks, and its voice sounds like it has rocks wedged deep in its throat. "Greetings, consort of Loki of Asgard."

Jane swallows hard, shaking. "Who are you? What do you want?" Her voice is sobbing and weak and she curses herself for it.

"I am called The Other. And what I want, I have – _you_."

"Wh-why?" Jane stutters. It raises a hand towards her throat – a hand, Jane notices with horrified fascination, which has two thumbs on it, and blue skin – and she flinches as it strokes a finger along Loki's snake necklace.

"The Asgardian betrayed us, and so the Master wishes him to suffer."

"I don't know who or what you are talking about," Jane tries, weakly.

The Other laughs, and it sounds like snake scales rubbing dryly together. On either side of her, the Chitauri titter their amusement.

"Oh? That collar you wear reeks of the Asgardian's magic. It tells me exactly to whom you belong. Who _owns_ you."

The creature leans closer, til it is nearly nose-to-nose with Jane. "And who will come running to save you, when your howls of pain and fear echo across space to his ears."

It smiles, revealing jagged, bloodied teeth

And Jane _screams_.

***sits in a corner with Loki with hands over ears, waiting for the angry screams to begin***

**So folks, anyone care to make any predictions on what's going to happen to Jane? Will Loki try to rescue her? Will he try and get help, and if so, from who? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! :)**


	13. No God is an Island Ch 2

**No God is An Island (2/3)**

**Author: starhawk2005**

**Fandom: Marvel's Avengers**

**Date: Aug 2013**

**Pairing: Loki/ Jane (Lokane)**

**Rating: Adult (18+).**

**Summary: Part Five of the Light in the Dark series. The Other has Jane. Will Loki rescue her? And if so, who can he turn to for help?**

**Beta: Thanks as always to canyr12 for being fabulous as always, and this time I must also thank fabulousbyfizzcap and writing-ramblr on Tumblr. All three of them helped me decide how much dark, graphic stuff to put into this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own any of these lovely characters. Not that I want to own The Other, mind you. You can keep it, Marvel!**

**Author's Note: Movie!verse, as usual! **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: There's some fairly ****graphic torture scenes**** and two instances of ****non-consensual sex**** (blame The Other, it's all it's fault) in this chapter. While I don't recommend skipping this chapter entirely, as there are some fairly significant plot developments, anybody who wants to avoid the dark stuff can just skip reading the scenes written in Jane's POV, from the time she's thrown into her cell until the time she is rescued, and you'll bypass all the nasty stuff.**

Loki clenches his fists so tightly his nails nearly shear through his skin, then he punches the nearest sand dune in a paroxysm of rage. Sand shoots up and eddies around him, coating his plate mail in a film of dust and dulling the shine of his horns, but he doesn't notice.

The Other _has_ Jane.

For a long and utterly shameful moment, Loki considers abandoning Jane to her fate and escaping to another Realm. Perhaps even another Worlds Tree entirely. Loki cannot die, and the thought of suffering at Thanos' hands for eternity…and all to save a mere mortal?

_Is it not a weakness, to love?_

No, Loki does not _love_ her. They have an 'arrangement', whereby they exchange pleasurable sensation. They offer each other physical comfort, and that is _all_. He has no use for anything more than that.

Why should he love her, in any case? The mortal who _doubts_ him. Oh, she had defended him vigorously enough to her fellow mortals, to Fury and to Selvig, to Stark, and even to his supposed brother Thor, but her continued questions to him only prove that her trust and faith in him are not total.

So why risk himself to save her, then? If indeed she is not already dead.

The Midgardian's Norse legends, laughably inaccurate as they are, do hold one kernel of truth – Loki had known many bed-partners. Multiple females in every Realm. So what is this tiny, doubtful, Midgardian female to _him_? He can find a suitable replacement within hours of traveling to a new Realm, of this he has no doubt.

And yet-

He closes his eyes, battling himself.

_No._

The Other is too expert a pupil of Thanos' teachings. Jane won't be killed, not while she is of use. Though whether she will be irreparably damaged will be another matter entirely-

He brushes that thought aside with an almost audible sound.

_Liesmith_, he has been called many a time, but lying to himself? Even he is not so skilled as to convince himself that Jane Foster of Midgard means nothing at all to him.

Truly, Loki must admit that it is _he_ who is unworthy of her, not the other way around. He is the God of Lies! Her trust is _there_, if not total, and really, could any reasonable person trust Loki completely, knowing what he is?

He has never truly wanted to be King, not of Asgard and not of Midgard, but he has always wanted _respect_. To be recognized for himself, for his talents and worth. For just one person to look upon him as not merely a god or a prince, but as a person deserving of trust. And Jane, he must confess, has given him that. She has trusted him so in many ways thus far, even as he has challenged her, repeatedly.

Above all, he has to admit there is a certain appeal in the fact that she has never lied to him (or at least, not that he has detected or discovered). He has been lied to his whole life by Odin, by Frigga. To have someone in his life who has and will always tell the truth to him, no matter how unpleasant, nor how he might react?

It has been a painfully rare thing in his millennia of existence, and yes, he can and will battle to maintain that.

But that is _all_. _It is _not_ love,_ he repeats, though the assertion is beginning to sound false even to himself, the echoes tiresome. He is strong enough not to need her, not to need _anyone (__Is it not a weakness, to love?_), but that does not mean he wishes to leave Jane in the hands of The Other. He cannot and will not condemn her to suffer even a fraction of the agonies he has endured. He owes her that much, if nothing else, for the gifts she has already granted him.

Decision made, he gathers his magic into himself, preparing for battle. Fortunately, he knows exactly where to begin his search.

Jane's scream fades into nothing, her lungs quickly running out of air. Her arms are practically shrieking from the crushing grip of the Chitauri.

But The Other doesn't touch her. Its callused palm stops mere inches from her forehead, and it cocks its own head in a grotesque parody of Loki.

"The Asgardian led us to believe that you humans are weak, that your world would fall easily." It scuffles somehow even closer to her, seeming to examine her face closely even though it has no eyes.

"Indeed, physically, your kind cannot withstand much torture. How unfortunate." It grins again as Jane shakes down to the core of her bones.

Then it does touch her, its palm cold and scaly, and Jane's body freezes in place. She tries to struggle, to breathe, but all her muscles seem to have turned to stone. She can't scream, can't fight, can't move, and there's this _crawling_ sensation in her mind-

The Other pulls its hand away from her after an endless moment and Jane, released, slumps like a dropped puppet. "Take her to a cell. She and her fear will serve as fine bait to lure our prey. And then I will present both of them as gifts to our Master." It grins again, smugly, and turns away.

Jane can move under her own power again, but it's cold comfort as the Chitauri wrench her arms nearly free of their sockets, dragging her away and down a long throat of rock. The darkness presses in, increasing her sense of suffocation.

They drag her into a tiny cave, lit with several small dim blue lights. There are chains riveted to the floor, and that is where they toss her, cuffing her wrists and ankles tightly before they leave.

The moment she is alone, Jane clamps both hands over her mouth to stifle the full-throated scream that wants so badly to come out. It turns into a series of racking sobs instead.

_Please, Loki, wherever you are, _help_ me._

Even knowing that it's a trap for him, she can't help herself: "Loki!" She doesn't intend to scream it, but she does anyway.

Nothing.

Silence falls after the echoes of her desperate cry fade, until there's only the sound of her heartbeat racing in her ears and her slightly wheezing breaths.

_So stupid_, she chides herself, to actually think he can _hear_ her from…wherever this is-

_-when your howls of pain and fear echo across space to his ears_, The Other's voice purrs in her mind.

Jane shudders and swipes at her tear-streaked cheeks and under her bloodied nose with one ragged sleeve. It's cold here too, though she hadn't noticed until now. She wraps her arms tightly around herself and shivers for a new reason.

_He'll come. He'll come. He'll come. _She chants it to herself over and over, in a nearly hysterical mantra.

_Been here before, though, haven't we?_ whispers the negative little voice, her only but unwanted companion_. Except if Loki takes his sweet time _this time_ to rescue you, you might be missing a few pieces by the time he gets here-_

She screams curses at the voice until it shuts up, then curls into the fetal position on the floor. Her stomach cramps and twists with nausea, and her lungs and head ache. _Breathe, Jane. You have to _breathe.

Time slows. Jane trembles and sweats, expecting someone to show up any moment to torture her, but she has no visitors of any kind. She checks her watch by sheer habit, but she can't read it. At first she thinks it is the dimness, but even after she crawls as close to one of the lights in the rough wall as she can, her chains scraping over the jagged flooring, she realizes something here is affecting it – the numbers blur and fade in and out, like she's in some kind of strange magnetic field.

There's only her breathing and heartbeat by which to keep time.

_You need to try to rest, Jane,_ she finally tells herself. It seems impossible, but she has to try. Certainly staying in a state of panic and fear will do nothing to increase her chances of survival.

She brushes as many small rocks out from under herself as she can, then curls up, trying to slow her breathing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

_Nothing._

Then there _is_ a sound. Inarticulate shouts from down the rough-hewn hallway, explosions…Jane sits up, heartbeat hammering at full-speed.

Silence falls again, pressing down on her ears, but now a tall, dark shadow fills the open doorway of her cell. Have they come for her at last? Jane crouches down like a cornered animal, freezing-

The shadow shifts, and that's when she realizes it has two long, curving horns protruding from the top of its head. A familiar and welcome silhouette.

"Loki!" she exclaims, voice shaking. He came, he's _here_-

"Jane," comes his answer, the tones low and deep and seeming to bounce and echo off the walls of her cell.

There's a faint green flash and her chains release and fall, hitting the floor with a dull clunk. She stumbles to her feet and runs straight at him, slamming into him and clutching on as tight as she can manage. "Oh God, Loki, I was so _scared_-" she babbles.

Loki's hands close around her upper arms, tight enough to make her wince, and he shoves her back, holding her away from him. Her heartbeat stutters in her chest at the expression on his face, the hellish light turning his skin a bizarre blue colour. Her arms throb from the grip of his fingers.

"So very beautiful," he says, but the eyes raking over her, and his voice, are cold. So cold that she barely recognizes him at all.

"Beautiful skin," he adds, one hand releasing her to trail roughened knuckles down her cheek, but the touch, which should comfort her, instead makes her skin crawl.

"So very lovely on you…but perhaps it would look even better…on my wall." A sharp twist of his wrist, and one of his daggers appears in his hand.

_No,_ Jane tries to say, to plead, but nothing comes out of her mouth but a weak stream of air.

He shoves her face-first into the cell wall, her forehead impacting with a crunch that deafens her, her shirt torn from her shoulders mere seconds later. She's still conscious when the point of his knife goes into her, just to the right of her spine, blood and unimaginable pain spilling out of her as he starts cutting-

Jane screams over and over until her voice breaks, but the agony only increases, building to a level she doesn't think she can live through. He never stops, and Jane doesn't pass out, even though she would if she could…

The reek of blood is all around her when he releases what's left of her at last. She slips in the blood underfoot and falls flat on her face, and when she looks up at him she sees him holding up a long, wide piece of what used to be _her_, and Jane's last moments of life go into one final shriek, the sound turning animal as she loses also what is left of her fragile sanity-

There's a _shift_ then, and Jane realizes she's still somehow whole, eyes shut tight and a hoarse scream dying in her throat as she shivers uncontrollably on the floor of the cell. She wipes sweat from her brow, her hand so weak it's a struggle to even lift it that high.

She's whole again, yes, but she's still here, still alone. Loki did not come to rescue her. Or to make her suffer.

Terror fills her as she realizes at last what The Other meant by 'torture'.

It takes both significant time and a worryingly large amount of his power, but Loki manages to find the portal which originally brought him here from Asgard, and then he _bends_ it, forcing it, tearing its other end free from Asgard and _pushing_ it to a new place.

When it is done and he is certain the new bridge will hold, Loki pauses to re-assess matters. The process has weakened him, drained much of his magic, but it will have to do. Most of the spells he will need to rescue Jane do not require much of his strength, as well-practiced as he has become at them through so many years. And he dares not wait too long to rescue Jane.

He steps into the portal, gravity pressing tightly on his chest as lights and sounds swirl and speed around him.

When the lights fade around him, Loki is on the desolate asteroid of sharp-edged rock where The Other maintains its base of operations. If The Other is to be found anywhere, it is most likely to be here, where it can observe the movements of its agents and send reports frequently to its Master.

Loki smiles, but it is without humour. Loki's arrogance had put Jane in harm's way, but now The Other's arrogance will deliver her safely back into Loki's keeping.

Loki does not, alas, know all of The Other's weaknesses – Thanos had seen to that – but it will surely _amuse_ Loki to see what type of torture – and for how long – that abomination can endure before it gives up its miserable life.

But first, Jane.

Loki draws his magic tightly in about himself, shielding himself from the sight of any who may be watching. It will be an easy matter, to magick himself into the base to release Jane, and then magick them both away to safety.

Then, once she is safe, Loki will return, kidnap The Other in a similar fashion, and then will Loki carry out his vengeance in a…_leisurely_ manner, as befits The Other's crime.

His first task is to locate Jane within the base. Loki concentrates, forming the magic into the shapes required. It comes to his call, an obedient dog to its familiar master-

Yet it does not work.

Loki's eyes widen in dismay.

He tries again, but the same result occurs.

_By Yggdrasil, _he curses.

His cloak of invisibility is still functional, as far as Loki can tell, so he dares to approach the base, testing an unwelcome theory. Closer, closer…until finally, as indeed he expected, he takes a step and his magic shivers away, leaving him exposed. It feels as though a glowing net has caught at a part of him, entangling and paralyzing that place within from through which his magic is sourced.

He has lost his single most useful weapon.

Loki jumps backwards into a defensive crouch, drawing a dagger and conjuring the cloak around himself once more as the _net_ releases him, but there is no reaction from the base. No horde of Chitauri bearing down on him. Yet.

Cautiously, he reaches out again with his magic. He already knows what he will find, but he wants to be certain-

Loki's teeth tighten together so hard in frustration that sharp pain shoots through his jaw. A Guardian, just as he suspected. Half beast and half machine, and designed to detect and block any magics that do not belong to Thanos and his ilk.

Loki remembers all too well being shown such a Guardian and having its powers demonstrated on him during his time in Thanos' company. Interestingly, Guardians do not block _all _magics from Thanos' enemies; while Loki had proven unable to cloak himself or to use any offensive spells during that time, Odin's illusion over him had never abated.

Why, Loki did not know. Perhaps the Guardian did not recognize such as a spell which could do harm? It had seemed to Loki to be too mindless a creature to be able to draw such a distinction, however. Perhaps it thought such an illusion purely defensive and thus too weak a threat, or perhaps his un-father's illusion had been too powerful.

Loki shakes his head angrily, driving such minutia away. He has more pressing matters to deal with, like the fact that he now cannot use _any _of his magic to save Jane– he cannot magick in, cannot cast invisibility and sneak in, cannot confuse the Chitauri garrison with copies of himself as he did earlier…

Panic stirs in his belly again, drawing its claws along his bones, but he grits his teeth and forces it away again. _Think, fool!_

Only three paths lie before him. One, he walks in unarmed and surrenders himself in exchange of Jane.

Loki dismisses that thought almost the moment it is birthed. Even if he was willing to suffer for eternity to save Jane – which he is _not_ - he was in Thanos' foul clutches long enough to learn the ways of him and his minions. Even if Loki yields, if anything this will encourage The Other to hurt Jane _more_, once Loki is there to serve as unwilling spectator.

The second path is to fight his way in, but entirely without magic. Loki considers this for a much longer time. Although he prefers to rely on his magic wherever possible, he trained as a warrior by Thor's side, and his skills with blades are not to be underestimated.

In addition, he does not believe the Chitauri pose much of a threat to him, his magic bound or not. Of course, The Other is a different matter entirely, but if it is engaged with Loki, it can hardly be busying itself harming Jane, can it not? As long as Loki can find a way to defeat it, the rest matters not. He can heal from many types of wounds.

Loki almost chooses that option, so that he may forgo even considering the last, unpalatable path. But even as he reaches for his knives, the thought occurs to him again- He _knows_ the ways of those who follow Thanos.

All too well.

The Other will likely not have harmed Jane much – _yet_ – because it will no doubt realize how fragile her flesh is, how easily she might expire. And then it will have lost its bait.

But if it realizes Loki is fighting to gain his way in…how quickly that may change.

Without his magic, he will need to take on the Chitauri garrison one at a time. And once The Other recognizes it is him, that will give it too much time and leisure to do something exceedingly damaging to Jane.

No doubt it will realize how easily Loki may be distracted, and perhaps taken prisoner, if the very Midgardian he came to collect has too many of her non-essential body parts cut from her on the battlements in front of him.

He either needs to find a way to attack fast and hard, to overwhelm all The Other's attention so that it thinks only of defense. Or, he needs a distraction. Preferably one that might not be immediately connected to _him-_

A shrieking noise fills his mind and Loki clutches his head in both hands, groaning.

Jane, in agony and fear, crying out to him-

When it fades to echoes, Loki finds himself on his knees. He cannot read minds or control them, but he is often able to sense strong emotions. So even with the Guardian's net overlaying the base, Jane's pain had smashed into him like a brutal fist.

Loki straightens up slowly, guilt and rage tearing at him until he nearly roars and throws caution to the winds, racing into the base to fall on his enemies like a ravening wolf-

_No._

_No._ With an effort, he forces his mind to silence, to calm. It is in fact the very first lesson he had learned as a mage; to still one's thoughts, so that in that centre of peace, the magic could be formed as one willed it. He takes the time to reach for that discipline now. Insanity and rage had not served him well in the too-near past, and it surely will not save Jane now.

Loki forces himself to deep, slow breaths, the last remnants of Jane's torment fading gradually away. _The third pathway_, he thinks to himself, forcing a return to his prior chain of thought.

Get help.

Jane gasps the insufficient air into her lungs, shuddering convulsively. Sweat and tears mix as they slide down her cheeks and drip off the edge of her jaw to patter onto the sharp-edged floor.

She shudders again, her head throbbing in time to her speeding heartbeat. Telling herself over and over that the things she'd seen hadn't been real had _not_ helped.

She'd tried that strategy during her second hallucination. She'd tried to stay calm, repeating _It's not real, it's not real_ like a mantra, even as Loki's gift had cinched itself tighter and tighter around her throat. She'd tried to loosen it, even to rip it off, but it had turned boiling hot, searing her fingers and cauterizing her carotid and jugular shut, the agony roasting her alive…

Jane had barely come to her senses, wheezing and still tugging at the now-cool necklace, before the next attack. This time she'd been in some building, addressing a throng of well-dressed men and women while soft classical music played in the background. She remembers thinking that one of those fancy dresses alone could have funded Jane's research for a year.

In the hallucination the language coming out of her mouth was unfamiliar to her but sounded German. Not that it mattered. Soon enough she glimpsed a commotion out of the corner of her eye, and then Loki was on her, hand around the back of her neck, dragging her forward.

Her flailing hands had glanced uselessly off his suit jacket, screaming people backing off, leaving a wide ring of empty air around Jane and the god brutally shoving her forward.

Loki had flipped her head over heels and slammed her down onto a strange table, the head of a bull at each end of it. Stunned, she'd watched paralyzed as he pinned her to the table with a cane topped with a blue gem, her ribs flexing painfully under the pressure. Her eyes could not seem to move from his face, and he grinned cruelly down at her, his other hand reaching into his jacket.

He'd pulled out a device Jane had never seen before, then he'd pressed part of it, making it whirr to life.

Then he'd slammed it onto Jane's face. Tiny knives had sliced into her eye-socket, and Jane had felt the sickening tug of her eyeball being pulled free. It had been _excruciating_, her screams loud enough to rattle windows and shatter glass, while the only eye she'd had left had stayed fixed on Loki's pleased expression. Hot blood from her wound had poured down her temple and into her hair, tickling.

When he'd wrenched the device free (her eye going with it) an eternity later, she had hoped for mercy, but he'd shown her none. She remembers being distantly aware of screams and running feet, but all of them heading away.

Nobody was coming to save her.

His hands had closed on her throat, his teeth flashing ferally at her. All her air had gone, her hands scrabbling futilely to loosen his grip. "Useless female," Loki had said to her, his tone calm and almost happy, with the dull crunch of her windpipe collapsing to punctuate his remark.

But even then, he had seen fit to extend her agony as long as he could. He'd loosened his grip, watching her gasps, her feeble, doomed efforts to _live_, his eyes gleaming sadistically before his hands had clenched with finality, her spine giving way.

Darkness had descended on Jane, blotting everything out but the after-images of the _pain_-

When her eyes flicker open she is back in her prison once more, coated in fear-sweat and wondering how much more of this she can take before her sanity gives like a frayed rope.

Loki returns to Midgard the same way he left it. Guilt assails him at abandoning Jane for the moment, but he knows he will think better, _quicker_, without the maelstrom of Jane's torture in his head. Mere moments after the first time, he had suffered her pains again, and he cannot afford to be slowed down every few minutes or he will never come up with a usable scheme.

He requires help, that is clear, but now he must resolve the issue of: Who can he rely on?

Jane's fellow Midgardians are the obvious choice, at least at first glance. Surely they will want to rescue the mortal who can open the way to the other Realms for them?

But as Loki surveys the carnage of his earlier battle with the Chitauri, second thoughts beset him.

SHIELD does not trust him; they have made that abundantly clear. Might they believe Loki himself has kidnapped Jane, and is using the Chitauri attack as a diversion? Loki has not the patience or time to disabuse them of any false notions they may get in their limited minds.

Another consideration: Can the Midgardians even be of help? Oh, if they attack, perhaps The Other will not believe Loki behind it, and Jane will be spared long enough for Loki to sneak in a back way, destroy the Guardian, and save her. But the mortals have few weapons capable of harming the Chitauri, except for that last, devastating weapon which Stark had used to end the Great Battle

Though Loki knows little about the mechanics of such a device (and normally would not deign to care), he is certain such a weapon will irreparably harm Jane if it is used in proximity to her.

Of course the other Midgardian possibility is the so-called Avengers, but Loki knows from his own spying that they are scattered all over this backwater Realm. Bringing them together and, most notably, convincing them (motley, undisciplined crew that they are), will take time Loki does not have to spare. How had the metal man put it? _Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one._

Jane may not have _a while_. Loki cannot afford to assume as much.

And this all assumes that the Midgardians even care to save her. She is important, or _should_ be considered important, in Loki's considered opinion, but whether they are intelligent enough to realize that is debatable.

He shakes his head slowly, grinding his bootheel into the bloodstained sand in frustration. This leaves him but one final possibility, as utterly unsavoury as it may be.

Loki realizes, however, just as he is about to attempt to modify his makeshift Bifröst again, that he has unfinished business here. Perhaps some mortals have noticed Jane's absence by now, but none seem to have marked the presence of this battleground.

If Loki allows SHIELD to discover this on their own, could that further weaken his position with them? No doubt Fury will be angered if he thinks other Chitauri attacks are coming and that Loki failed to warn them. Even though Loki thinks such are entirely unlikely - _he_ is the target, not Midgard - he supposes SHIELD will still want to marshal their defenses (such as they are), and will not thank Loki if he does not warn them.

But he has no _time_, and he knows these humans all too well. If he magicks in and tries to tell them what has happened in as quickly a manner as possible…well, they will not accept it. They will want to _debrief_ him, _interrogate_ him, _corroborate_ his story, and again, he has not the leisure for that…and no doubt they will mistake his foul mood for something other than it is, and that will not help, either-

_Wait._ Inspiration strikes.

Quickly he banishes his plate armour and helmet, and then he reaches his awareness into Jane's city, searching. A moment later, he is standing in the middle of Darcy Lewis' dwelling.

She is in the midst of walking out of her scullery area, holding a cup of what smells to him like the drink Jane calls 'coffee', and chattering impatiently into a device which Loki recognizes as what Jane calls a 'cell phone'. "Dammit Jane, pick _up_, would you? I know you don't want to be late for our flight to New York-" She spots Loki and does a double-take, sputtering and nearly dropping the cup.

"Jesus Christ!" Darcy yells, and Loki realizes belatedly that she does not yet recognize it is him. No doubt he should have knocked at her door and requested entry, but he has not even the time for such social niceties-

"Please, I beg you to forgive the manner of my entry, Lady Darcy." At his words her eyes narrow, and she finally appears to recognize him.

"Loki!" Darcy shakes her head. "You scared the crap out of me! Not cool, dude." She puts her cup down on a side-table with a hollow clunk. "You're lucky I'm dressed, or _you_ would've been the one scared. Is Jane with you? I've been trying to reach her-"

"Jane has been taken," Loki interrupts, "by the leader of the beings that attacked your city. Or rather, the _real_ leader," he amends, recalling that many mortals still think it was _him_. "Fear not," he adds as Darcy's eyes widen, "I will get her back, but time is of the essence, and so I require your aid, Lady."

Her eyes narrow at him again behind the small panes of glass she wears on her face, as if she is trying to decide if this is some prank of his (and perhaps Jane's).

"Please, Lady," Loki requests, dropping to one knee. He does not allow himself to dwell on the fact he is kneeling to a mere mortal. He is doing what is _practical_, no more. "I realize my reputation must precede me, but I swear by Yggdrasil that I am not lying. Jane is in dire trouble, and I will do all in my power to get her back, but I need your help."

There's a long pause as the mortal studies him, but finally Darcy nods slowly. "OK. What do you need me to do?"

In answer, Loki magicks them both instantly back to the site of the battle. Darcy staggers a step or two after they arrive and then looks around, the blood draining from her face, but Loki has not the time to introduce this scene to her gently.

"These Chitauri attacked me, distracted me while Jane was taken. And while I am sure SHIELD will want to know of it, I have not the leisure to deal with their…" he pauses, scrabbling for the term he has heard Jane use, "red-tape?"

Darcy nods slowly, clearly shaken. "Uh, OK."

"All that I require is that you show them that this event has occurred, and also that you inform them to be prepared to defend themselves. While I think it is unlikely that another attack is forthcoming – I believe at the moment I am the sole target, with Jane being used as bait – being prepared will do you Midgardians no harm."

"OK," she agrees, though she seems nervous. Worrying about what has happened to Jane? Well, he feels much the same. "Just one question, though- where the hell are we?"

Loki's patience frays and he resists the urge to grind his teeth. "Your place of work is several minutes' walk that way, in the direction of the sun," Loki indicates to her, fighting for calm. "I will take you back there now," he adds, and does.

He catches Darcy's arm and steadies her as they materialize for a second time. "I thank you, Lady Darcy," he says gravely, even as the sense of urgency rises sharply within him again. "In return, when this is resolved you may ask a boon of me. But for now there are other matters I must attend to." He pauses, realizing the inevitable is upon him. "I cannot rescue Jane alone."

"Where are you going to go for help?" Darcy asks anxiously, twisting her phone between her fingers.

Loki draws a heavy breath. "To Asgard," he replies.

Jane is in a heap on the floor. Every muscle aches, her breath rattling in her lungs as she fights off a wave of nausea, her headache spiking painfully in her temples. A metallic taste coats her mouth and throat, and as blood continues to drip intermittently from her nose, Jane has to wonder whether the air here is poisonous to her.

But soon such practical worries are brushed aside by yet another attack on her mind. Jane can feel her resistance waning, her defenses weakening with each assault. This time she barely manages one attempt to convince herself that _it isn't real_, before the nightmare swallows her whole.

She recognizes this scenario within one and half heartbeats. A forest. At night. A familiar figure dressed in golden armour and ridiculously extravagant horns, slowly advancing on her.

Except there's nothing to inspire lust in her this time.

"I am going to make a toy of you, little Midgardian whore," Loki rasps, his voice and eyes as cold as ice.

Jane doesn't even waste breath answering, she just turns and runs.

A hand seizes her hair within half a step, yanking her back and almost tearing the hair from her scalp, ending her futile bid for freedom.

He throws her to the ground hard enough to rattle her bones, her teeth clicking together hard as her chin impacts hard dirt. He flips her onto her back and tears at the collar of her shirt, his intent clear within moments.

_This_ is a new torture, an all-new twisting of what had been between them, but Jane can't put a stop to it. Just like all the other false echoes The Other's spell has created in her brain during her imprisonment.

He looms over her, brushing off her feeble attempts to get free, to keep herself covered. He laughs cruelly, mocking her, then pins her easily down as he unlaces himself.

It's an agony of the most personal, violating sort as he thrusts inside her.

He doesn't stop. Every thrust is like a punishing blow, and her ragged screams and her pleading with him gain her absolutely no mercy.

He grunts like an animal and freezes, emptying himself, then pulls out of her at last. But Jane knows the horror won't end here. She won't be let off the hook that easily.

He makes a disgusted noise and tosses her aside like a doll, Jane landing so hard on her side that she nearly blacks out when her head hits the ground.

"_Useless_," he proclaims. "Even as a whore, you fall short, Midgardian. Shall we see if your slow death will prove more entertaining to me?"

He kicks her in the stomach, the force enough to throw her across the clearing and into a nearby tree. Her spine gives with a wet snap, and a terrible noise is forced out of her as she tumbles forward into the sharp-edged grass.

He stalks forward slowly, teeth gleaming wickedly, and resumes kicking her. Bones break, blood drips from her nose and mouth in a flood, the pain excruciating, and through it all he never stops laughing, she can still hear it even as her dying screams ring in her ears-

-and she's back in her cell.

Shivering uncontrollably, unable to stop, Jane curls into a ball as dry, rasping sobs overtake her. No matter how hard she tries, when she reaches to find the actual, real memory of that night in the forest, only the dark, horrible torture comes to mind.

It's not just the air which is poisonous here, she soon realizes. Her memories are being poisoned as well, rewritten, until she is no longer sure which is real and which memories are the false ones, created by her tormentors.

It again takes Loki several hours and considerable strength of magic and will to bend his makeshift Bifröst so that it takes him to Asgard instead. Loki practically feels each second as if they are moments of Jane's life running down, and he has to keep halting his work to center himself. He cannot save her if he gives in to panic; he has to believe that The Other will keep her basically whole. Otherwise she will hardly serve as viable bait, correct?

Finally he materializes within the bowels of the palace from which he escaped not that long ago.

He cloaks himself quickly and then lopes cautiously through the palace corridors, a curious mixture of anger, longing, and homesickness threatening to overwhelm him. Many times, he has to sneak around people that he knows – _knew_- though thankfully he does not encounter Odin or Frigga. Throughout, he must force his warring emotions aside. Jane _needs_ him, and so all other concerns are secondary.

He soon finds himself climbing the stairs to the royal chambers. Thor's rooms are empty but when Loki stretches out his magic, he senses that Thor coming towards them. _Good._ Finally, something is working to serve Loki. Loki works at a rapid pace to seal Thor's rooms with his magic, shielding the chamber from the prying eyes of Heimdall, Odin, and whoever else might try to stop him in his task.

The doors open and Thor strides in alone, ordering a bevy of servants away curtly, and the look on his face gives Loki brief pause. His former brother's brow is furrowed, lines of irritation carved deeply into his face, and Loki's heart leaps gladly…before he remembers why he is here again.

"Brother," Loki says deliberately, materializing in the middle of Thor's chambers.

Thor does a double-take, much as Lady Darcy did, though he does not reach for Mjölnir. Yet. "Loki." Thor's eyes narrow, and now he _does _reach for Mjölnir. "Why are you here?" Suspicion drips from his voice.

Gritting his teeth and attempting to swallow his considerable pride, Loki drops reluctantly to one knee. "As a supplicant, brother."

Thor's eyes widen but his hand does not move from Mjölnir's haft. Obviously expecting a trick, he asks "And why is that, brother?" Thor's tone lacks any sarcasm, and Loki has to fight not to sneer. He is using his oaf of a "brother" to get Jane back, that is all. He does not forgive Thor, or like him, he merely needs to _use_ him. He still _hates_, but he must set that aside for the moment.

"Jane," Loki says simply.

Now Thor _does_ pull Mjölnir free "I warned you, Loki, that if you hurt her-"

"So quick to believe the worst of me," Loki accuses, unable to stop the bitterness in his tone. "I am _sorry_ to disappoint, but I am not the monster this time. It was the Chitauri and their leader. It is called The Other. They found me somehow on Midgard, and discovered that Jane and I were…involved," he continues, choosing to use Jane's words to describe their arrangement. "And now they have taken her, to use as a lure." Though guilt stabs sharply at him again, Loki stops at admitting his own culpability in this whole situation.

"I would rescue her alone, if I could. Believe me, I would rather not beg for your aid." Loki continues, eyes on the floor in what he hopes will be seen as an attempt at humility. "But The Other's stronghold is defended by a creature capable of blocking all magics save those desired by The Other, and I cannot do anything to save Jane, other than battle physically. And I believe if I try, The Other may well put Jane to the sword in front of me. I require a diversion, and I believe you and our friends," the last two words burn his throat like acid, but he forces himself to say them regardless, "are strong enough, even without magic, to destroy much of the Chitauri garrison. And while they are diverted, I shall find another way in, destroy their Guardian, and then save Jane."

Loki stops and waits, eyes still on the floor. He has spoken honestly for once, but that does not mean Thor will believe him, of course. But he has not considered what he will do if Thor does not agree.

A heavy silence hangs between them.

His anger and panic rising again, Loki tries another approach: "You call yourself protector of Earth. Well, now an innocent woman of Earth is going to pay for the sins of one of Asgard – or, if you prefer, _formerly_ of Asgard. You value Jane too, I know this. If you have any degree of love left for her, please my brother, help-"

"Stop, brother," Thor cuts him off. Thor steps forwards and his hand squeezes Loki's shoulder, and Loki has to force himself not to stab it. "Of course I will give you my aid. Of course I want to help Jane. I am concerned, however, as to how to convince Sif and the Warriors Three to aid _us_."

It's a victory, though Loki refuses to recognize the relief swirling in his chest. He looks up at Thor, shaking his head in disbelief. "You are the Crown Prince. They will follow your orders, will they not?"

Thor shakes his head and turns from Loki, tucking Mjölnir away once more. "Perhaps, but I would prefer that they agree to accompany us of their own will, not because I order them to." Thor hesitates, then adds: "I am beginning to see the downfall of treating those who serve us as if they are nothing more than mindless tools, to be used for whatever purpose one has at the time."

Loki frowns. "If that comment is directed at me, may I respectfully suggest that now is _not_ the time-"

"No, my brother, I speak of Odin," Thor clarifies, and Loki's shoulders tighten painfully at the mention of his name.

Thor turns to meet Loki's indignant gaze. "Our father was not pleased that I left you free to roam the Earth, brother, not after he expended much energy to send me to fetch you. He did not agree with my reasons for doing so."

Loki cocks his head. He does not even bother to contradict Thor about Odin's status as _their_ father, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Which were?"

Thor shakes his head. "Another time. For now, suffice it to say that for the moment I am not the favoured son you seem to have always taken me for. And I have begun to see how immovable Odin is, and how that might have created additional difficulties for you which might not otherwise have occurred."

Fascinating, but Loki has little time for this prattle. "I agree, another time. Very well, let us find and convince our…allies. While I am quite certain The Other will not kill Jane, that does not mean he will not _hurt_ her, and I fear the longer I delay-" Loki leaves the thought to hang in the air. Not merely for dramatic effect (though there _is _that), but because even he does not want to consider it.

Thor nods. "Very well. Cloak your presence, and let us go."

"Thor, you cannot be serious!" Sif exclaims, glaring daggers at Loki. "He tried to kill you, to kill us-"

Loki stands stony faced in the middle of the company, his eyes once again downcast. This is utterly and completely _humiliating_, but he will suffer it. It is surely nothing compared to what Jane is suffering right now, if the screams in his mind had been any indication.

Besides, Sif is quite correct, even Loki must acknowledge it. If grudgingly.

But time is advancing, and he does not know how much time Jane might have left, so he leaps into the verbal fray, interrupting Thor's entreating reply. "The things that I have done, I _will _answer for," he lies smoothly. "But right now we have a far more urgent matter to attend to." He raises his eyes to Sif's livid ones. "You met Jane Foster of Midgard, did you not? Do you believe she deserves to die a slow, horrible demise at the hands of these foul creatures, Lady Sif?"

Sif's frown only deepens, and behind her the so-called Warriors Three fidget uneasily. "You would have me believe her innocent? It is _you_ she bedded, and knowingly, after all-"

"Sif," Thor interjects warningly, anger colouring his own tones now, and Sif falls immediately silent. Thor motions to her to step away with him. "May I have a moment alone with my shield-mate?" he asks the rest of them. No one gainsays him.

Thor and Sif remove themselves for long moments, leaving Loki to endure the discomfort of being alone in Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral's company. Then again, has he _ever_ felt comfortable in their company? The insults they have tossed at him, their laughter and taunts at his expense, the way their easy camaraderie with each other has always eluded him…

_You _will _endure this, for Jane,_ he reminds himself. It will not be for long, he reminds himself. He will set them as bait to lure The Other's forces and attention away, he will rescue Jane, and then…well, he has not thought that far ahead, but he certainly will not abide one moment more of their presence than he has to, from that moment forward!

Thor and Sif finally return, Sif frowning still but with a resigned set to her shoulders that Loki reads easily enough, as he has seen it countless times.

He has won.

"Come, my friends," Thor addresses them all. "We go to rescue an innocent woman, a good friend, and a brilliant mind who will allow the light of the universe to touch Midgard. Do we fight as one?"

There is a long pause before Sif agrees, her voice quiet. Volstagg is quick on her heels to give his affirmation, but Loki stops listening at that point, too occupied gathering his magic to twist the pathway once more to his purposes.

_Jane_, he thinks. _Be strong. I am coming._

Her heartbeat thuds loudly in her ears, still seeming to be way too fast, but Jane can barely think through the headache tearing at her temples.

She swipes weakly at the blood dripping from her nose again, struggling to hold on. Her strength is fading, deserting her, her lungs struggling each time she has to breathe in.

She may not make it until Loki gets here. _If_ he gets here.

The latest hallucinations have been the worst yet.

First Jane had found herself back in her trailer being stalked by Loki. Just like the early days, except…this time he had ripped her from her bed and, laughing the entire time, had violated her in _every_ way he could. It had been even worse than the forest hallucination.

Then, close on the first hallucination's heels, two other attacks had begun. Neither of these delusions seemed to have come from _her _memories, but it scarcely mattered.

She'd found herself standing among in a group of well-dressed, foreign-language-speaking people – was it the same group that had screamed and abandoned her, leaving Loki to carve out her eye at his leisure? – all of them screaming and milling around until a voice, unmistakably Loki's, had yelled "KNEEL!"

Just like the rest, Jane had tried to kneel too, but predictably, she found her joints were locked. Soon she was the only one standing, Loki's enraged gaze searing across her cheekbones.

"Kneel or die," he'd threatened her, but though Jane had fought her own body as hard as she could, she'd been completely unable to speak or move. Until he'd strode over and dragged her in front of the whimpering throng. Then her nerveless fingers had tried to loosen his crushing grip, but of course there was no escape. "Observe what happens to those who do not obey their King," he'd informed them all, his eyes gleaming sadistically.

Then he'd used the sharp cutting edge of his scepter to disembowel her.

Now Jane shakes her head weakly, attempting to dislodge that last memory.

The final hallucination had been no less horrific. Loki had been standing in something that looked like a huge glass cage, and Jane had been standing outside it, her reflection showing faintly in the glass.

She'd known enough by then to realize instantly that the fact she was on the outside, separated from him, would serve as no protection.

"Pathetic!" Loki had spat at her – literally – "This is my bargain, you mewling quim: I'm going to murder you, slowly, _intimately_, in every way I know you fear. And only then will you be free of me, when you give up your miserable excuse for a life."

Rage had swirled in Jane's belly for one rebellious second – how tired she was of being afraid, and terrorized, and _hurt_ – but it had shattered just like the glass between them, as Loki's fist had shot through it. He'd dragged Jane into the cell through the jagged hole, and the glass had cut into her in a thousand places.

She'd been thrown to the floor, Loki twisting her right arm until the joint _gave _with a grisly sound-

_Enough!_ Jane yells silently as she claps her hands over her ears.

As hard as it is, she needs to breathe, and to hold on to what is _real_.

Deliberately she touches the necklace and fills her mind as best she can with _real _memories. It's a fight like nothing she's ever experienced before. The images of Loki, brutish and bloodthirsty and full of hate, keep trying to invade, and Jane tries to evade them, fighting back with:

_He's smiling. "My sincerest apologies, Lady." He presses soft lips to the backs of her fingers. "Apparently, I have much to learn about Midgardian women-"_

_He looks at her for a long moment. "Then you will be. Mine, and mine alone. Do you understand-"_

"_Say that you belong to me," he says right into her ear, breath tickling her skin-_

"_Don't be afraid." Somehow she can hear him over the hissing. "Close your eyes, Jane. Give me your trust." She does, trying not to think about being almost totally covered in snakes-_

_He laughs softly. "Your obedience pleases me, and I know just how to 'reward' you. You next feel me undoing your breeches. I have you stripped bare, and I pull you back hard against me. Can you feel my armour pressing against your soft skin? Can you feel how badly I _want_ you-"_

_She frowns. She can't see the bite-mark, but it's still there; she can feel the small scabs even now. "Unfortunately, I do not possess the ability to heal another," Loki says, "but I can hide the evidence, at least, so that you do not have to. Perhaps there may come a time when you can wear my marks openly, but I can appreciate that such a time is not yet come-"_

_His voice is a low, rough purr. "Please, my lady, remove your clothing. I wish to sample _those _sweet lips again-"_

_His eyes never leave her face, their hands clasped and fingers entwined. He kisses her and it mirrors what their lower bodies are doing, gentle and unhurried. Even after breaking the kiss, his stays close, their breaths mingling and strands of his dark hair tickling her face-_

"_Is it not obvious? I thought I was seeing to your comfort. I am sure you have had something of a trying day-"_

"_Its beauty is the merest shadow, compared to that of the one who wears it."_

"_Your first task is to build the bridge, and finally the other mortals are recognizing and supporting your hard work and intellect-"_

She can't give in. She has to trust that someone – if not Loki, then _someone_ – will come to save her. This is torture, but it's all in her mind. She can survive it.

She _has_ to.

But the seconds – minutes? Hours? _Days_? She can no longer tell – crawl by, and the hallucinations twist and sear through her mind, and it's so hard to keep fighting.

She's cold and weak, both starving and nauseated at the same time, and her head _hurts_.

It's getting harder and harder to remember whether Loki is supposed to come and save her, or if he is the one keeping her prisoner and tormenting her. Her actual memories mix and combine with the poisoned ones, until she is no longer sure how she feels about Loki any longer.

Which is the real Loki?

Forcing the pathway yet again back to The Other's base drains Loki's magic significantly, but he cannot wait for it to be replenished. He has taken too long already.

Thor had suggested stealing the Tesseract from the Vault and using it to make the portal instead, but as tempting as the idea is, Loki refuses to allow it. Besides the time and danger involved in pilfering it, the notion of having the Tesseract in such close proximity to The Other just seems like the worst possible idea anyone has ever had. And quite possibly what The Other is hoping for.

Loki's magic alone will have to do. His power will not serve him in any case until the Guardian is killed, and after that he need only magick Jane to safety.

He is on edge at first, waiting for more of her screams to fill his mind, but for the moment he _senses_ nothing. Some part of him is frightened by the silence, and once more he pushes himself to reach for the calm he will need.

His fellow warriors stride towards The Other's stronghold, readying their weapons, while Loki waits in the deep shadows of the rocks. He conjures his plate armour as Thor and the small band walk through the invisible boundary of the Guardian's magic.

Mjölnir's magic will be blunted too, Loki knows, and he explained as much to Thor – not to help Thor, but to help _himself_ – but as much as it pains Loki to admit it, Thor is stronger than him, and the better warrior. Even powerless, Mjölnir is still a formidable weapon, and neither do Sif nor the Warriors Three rely on magic to the extent Loki does. They will do fine without it, he presumes.

It will serve. It _must_. As his 'friends' engage the first of the Chitauri garrison, Loki draws his knives, crosses into the sphere of The Guardian's influence, and begins to move sideways away from the emerging battle. He has been here before, many months before the Chitauri attack on Midgard, and he remembers a few of the less-used side and back entries to The Other's base. He will make use of such a one now, especially if they are left unguarded.

The sounds of fighting reach Loki's ears – deep voices shouting, alien screams, the unmistakable sound of the Chitauri's weaponry – and he hurries, crouched low to the ground since he cannot hide himself from anyone's eyes.

The first side-entry he makes for is indeed abandoned when Loki reaches it. No surprise; the sounds of battle behind him are now at a fever pitch. He smiles humourlessly and ducks into the rough-hewn opening in the rock.

He must also rely on his memory to find the Guardian, and alas he takes a few wrong turns. He is forced several times to dispatch Chitauri guards, earning him a few slashes and burn marks along his body, but nothing that does anything more than slow him down. Magic-bound he may be, but he is _still_ a god – strong, fast, and also burning with vengeance and rage.

Again, it will serve.

Finally, he locates the proper room. Even without magic, he can feel the _vibrations_ of the beast, as well as see from a distance the strange yellow-grey light of the machines that keep the thing half-alive.

He kills the six Chitauri sentries posted to protect it, taking more minor damage in the process, then he pauses in front of it to consider how it shall die. His lip curls in disgust; it is like no beast he has ever seen before, in this universe or any other.

It is truly an offense against Yggdrasil. Ash-grey flesh, mostly bare but spotted here and there with tufts of greasy, unkempt fur. Eyes, most of them glazed and blind, scattered seemingly at random on the top half of its bulk. And the rest of it is machinery. Wires, bits and pieces of metal, and other things that Loki has no name for, though no doubt the Midgardians do, given their dependence on technology rather than magic.

None of which, sadly, helps him figure out how to destroy this being.

He thinks quickly. Like the Chitauri, The Guardian is a mix of machine and living thing. Perhaps therein lies the clue? Stark managed to slay the entire Chitauri attack force by destroying the machines carried by their lead ship. Perhaps a similar process can be employed here?

His knives may work, but they are small and will take much time, so Loki relieves one of his recently-defeated foes of their light-shooting weapon. If he severs it from its power source, he suspects the abomination will expire.

Several thick cables run from the underside of the Guardian, and Loki targets those first. The lights in the room flicker, and Loki feels the harness on his magic weaken…but only for a moment. Then a series of subordinate systems appear to take over.

His impatience and anger increasing with each passing second, Loki next blasts every cable and wire he sees connected to the thing, though his ears are always trained for approaching footsteps. Finally, his lips pressed together so tightly that they nearly disappear, he drops the steaming gun to the floor and reaches for his knives. He stabs both of them deep into the largest eye he sees, pushing them as far as they will go, hoping to damage what passes for the thing's brain.

At last, the Guardian emits a high-pitched whine that goes through Loki's head like a spear, and Loki feels his magic return to him, filling him like a goblet. It is not much, not after all the spells he has cast today, but it will do. As long as he has enough strength to take Jane out and a little ways away, that is all he needs.

But his relief is short-lived. With the resurgence of his power comes the renewal of his connection to Jane, and somehow, perhaps due to physical proximity, her terror and anguish hits him with a force that drives him to his knees, nausea roiling in his guts. His thoughts scatter, ripped to shreds-

He struggles to build a _wall_ in his mind, to cage her feelings for the moment so they will not distract him so. Although Thor and the others will fight the better with their magic returned, as will he, there is no cause to become complacent. Loki has not the magic to cloak himself, not if he still wishes to magick Jane free of this accursed place.

In addition, he must be cautious; The Other likely is here somewhere in this stronghold, and he does not wish to confront it, not yet.

Fortune appears to have other plans, however. Though Loki attempts to avoid any corridors where he hears many feet running or other signs of life; reaching out his senses to locate Jane, his path leads him down one long stone hall and into a large room…

And before him, stands the one being he most did not want to meet.

"Asgardian," The Other purrs, taking slow steps towards Loki. "So, you _do_ value the mortal. The Master will be eager to learn of this, once I present the two of you to him to face his justice."

"The _Master_," Loki rasps, "will not be given the opportunity to lay hands on her." Hate simmers within him and his whole body clenches, preparing for the fight.

The Other's hands are empty, but Loki knows enough to know it is not defenseless. He draws his knives and gathers his remaining magic, even as The Other roars and _slides_ across the room to stand in front of Loki.

It grins and slams both hands to either side of Loki's head. It's so quick he doesn't have the time to raise his own hands to block.

Reason abruptly deserts him. He's back in Thanos' clutches, chained under an unending fall of acid slowly eating his flesh away. "A preview of your fate for all eternity, Betrayer," The Other's voice hisses gleefully in Loki's mind. "After, of course, the Master has flayed and dismembered your mortal whore, _alive_, in front of you, that you may properly appreciate her screams." It pauses. "Unless, of course, you agree to steal the Tesseract from Asgard for us. Perhaps then the Master will see fit to spare-"

In the background of his own delusions, Loki is aware of Jane. Her emotions swirl around the edges of his own pain, her torment and fear pulsing at him in waves. It _hurts_, adding to the weight of hurt already upon him. But it also grounds him, reminds him why he is here.

He forces the center of his mind to calm, shutting out the poison of the hallucinations and memories. Within that bastion, he wonders if perhaps The Other's own spells can be turned against it. "You are …weak," he hisses through gritted teeth as he falls to his knees in front of his opponent. "You enjoy giving pain…but…tell me…will you like it so well…while you are…_receiving_ it?"

Using up a large portion of his remaining magic, Loki binds _all_ the pain – both his and Jane's – into a glowing coil in the middle of himself, fashions it into a weapon, and _pushes_ it with all his strength. Straight into the mind of The Other.

The response is immediate.

The Other howls, backing away and grasping at its own head, and Loki scoops both his daggers up from the floor and takes a staggering step, driving both home into The Other's chest.

But The Other _is_ powerful, and a fearsomely strong arm knocks Loki into the nearest wall, the creature snarling and yanking the daggers from its body.

Black ichor leaks from each wound, though Loki can see that neither is bleeding enough to be fatal.

Loki's helmet has fallen off, the rim dented, but it scarcely matters. He cannot win a physical battle against The Other. This much he is sure, given what Thanos told him about the creature. And as The Other laughs and edges slowly closer, thinking to draw out the moment of its victory, Loki is sure Thanos also told The Other about the limits of Loki's magic and abilities. He would know such from the violation of Loki's mind at their first encounter.

And yet, did Thanos tell The Other _all_? Perhaps it is time to test that.

The source from which Loki draws to fuel his illusions and other spells is severely depleted, but such is not his _only_ source of magic, is it?

His Jotun heritage brings its own abilities. Would Thanos have warned The Other of this? Loki thinks not. Thanos had enjoyed breeding conflict among his minions, sharing some weaknesses and strengths but not others…

Loki's hair falls into his eyes as he rises slowly to his knees, and he rakes it away angrily. Such does not usually happen to him in the midst of battle, but since Jane had asked him to stop plastering it down to his skull-

_Jane_-

_Yes_. To save her, it is worth the risk, hated though this magic is.

The Other continues its leisurely stalk towards him, still chortling. It feels sure of its prize. _Arrogant abomination._

Finally making it to his feet, and with Jane's agony still whirling in his head, Loki tightens his jaw and allows the _cold_ to flow into him, though it takes a vicious struggle with himself. The Other pauses two paces away, confusion on its face as Loki's skin, eyes and hair change, until his flesh is as blue as The Other's.

It is now Loki's turn to laugh, as well as his turn to dart forward, wrath driving him. His hand catches The Other's wrist. With Jane's continued screams in his head as a goad, Loki pours every ounce of _cold_ he possesses into The Other, not stopping until that power is exhausted.

The Other moans, barely able to move. And Loki, his ire not even begun to be exhausted, uses a little more of his remaining magic to crack open his pocket dimension, summoning the Casket.

Loki does not know how powerful his _cold_ is compared to other Jotuns, and he does not care to determine this, but his abilities are as nothing compared to the Casket. As with Heimdall months ago, the Casket completes what Loki started, turning The Other from flesh to solid ice in a mere handful of moments.

This time Loki will not make the same mistake twice. He banishes the Casket back into the pocket dimension, then gathers his ire into himself.

With a final scream of rage, Loki kicks The Other in the belly with all of his strength, with all the weight of loathing and vengeance he holds, and the thing shatters into millions of tiny pieces.

Even then, Loki's viciousness is not yet spent. Not until he pulverizes every last piece, grinding them into the rock floor with his boot.

He curses The Other in the Asgardian tongue as he does so, stamping and hurling epithets until a flicker of movement in one of the room's doorways makes him drop into a defensive posture-

It is Thor.

For a moment the two gods stare at each other. Of course, Loki realizes a second later. Thor has never before witnessed Loki's Jotun form. Not _true _form, no, he will never call it that, ever.

Loki says nothing, turning away and allowing the _cold_ to fade out of him. As he does so, he feels Odin's illusion enfold him once more.

He has used too much magic, he realizes belatedly. He has not enough left to teleport Jane away. Yet, if Thor is here, perhaps it will not be necessary?

"How goes the battle?" Loki asks, voice hoarse.

Thor gestures with Mjölnir, his face and armour streaked with blood, both his and Chitauri, and a dark bruise forming on the side of his jaw. "It is won. It went the faster once our powers were returned to us." He hesitates, and Loki can well imagine the questions Thor must have, but his false brother merely strides forward, scraping at the glittering fragments underfoot with the toe of his boot. "Was this their leader?" Loki can almost hear Thor wondering at the violence Loki used to crush it to powder.

"Once," Loki replies with a rattling laugh. "It should not have taken Jane. Speaking of, I must find her."

"I will accompany you, brother," Thor insists, though Loki scoops up his helmet from the floor and treads past Thor without dignifying him with a response. If the Chitauri are indeed all dead, then Loki no longer requires his false brother.

Thus he need not play this irritating game of supplication any longer.

His magic, lessened though it is, soon locates Jane. Within moments he is standing in the doorway of a tiny, rough-hewn cell.

The reek of fear, despair and blood sickens him, and he casts his helmet outside by the door of the cell and squeezes his hands into tight fists, calling a small globe of light into being. Even as part of him balks at discovering the damage that has been done to her.

The huddled shape on the floor flinches from the brightness, and Loki shuffles forward almost reluctantly and drops to his knees beside her. He cannot see her face, her hair is lying across it, and perhaps to avoid the accusation he imagines he will see in her gaze, he turns his attention elsewhere first.

He places a hand on her nearest wrist, noting the bloodied marks around each shackle at wrist and ankle, anger edging his words as he speaks the words of a spell to free her. The irons drop to the floor and, braced for the worst, he lifts her in his arms and carefully brushes her hair from her face.

She is slumped into his arms, lax and limp, her eyes flickering behind closed lids. Loki's jaw spasms painfully to see the bloody scratches adorning her throat above and below his gift, as if she had tried to wrest it from her neck.

"Jane," Loki whispers at last, reaching out with magic to touch her mind-

Her eyes snap open. Unfocused at first, they clear, but with clarity comes _fear_. She twists and writhes, and unwilling to frighten her further, Loki lets her go, though she stumbles over her own limbs and falls back to the floor with an ungainly thump, avoiding his steadying hand.

She pants as she crawls backwards, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for somewhere, _anywhere_, to escape to.

"_Jane_," Loki tries again, reaching out towards her. What manner of evil has been done to her?

"Get away from me, you monster!" she screams hoarsely, her voice cracking.

Loki's own throat closes tight and he stares at her, stricken. For her to _say_ such a thing to him-

Her terrified gaze shifts to look past Loki. "Thor, please, help me! Don't let him hurt me anymore!"

Loki had forgotten about Thor. Now the thunder god's hand grasps Loki's arm painfully tight, jerking him to his feet even as Loki divines what has happened. "What does she speak of, Loki?" Thor rumbles angrily. "Is this some new scheme of yours? Because by Yggdrasil, if you lied to me, if _you_ have been the one harming her-"

Loki curses, throwing an elbow into Thor's guts and then shoving him into the wall with another curse. "_Fool._ So quick to ascribe ill intent to me, once again? No, it was not I," Loki snarls. "If it had been me, what purpose would it serve me to recruit you to rescue her? Do you see a trap laid before you here?"

Thor fiddles with Mjölnir, clearly unconvinced, while behind them, Jane sobs rackingly. "What then?"

Loki shakes his head and returns to Jane, though he stops a few paces from her, reaching out carefully with the last of his magic, until he senses the glowing threads of the spell binding her reason.

Yes, he should have realized as much. The more fool he. "A specialty of The Other, I fear. A spell to take one's memories and twist them, to re-enact them in visions where loved ones turn into torturers, to poison the mind with terror and agony. Alas, I know it well; the same magic was used on me whilst I was their…guest."

"Do you know how to break it?" demands Thor worriedly.

"Perhaps, though it may not be possible until I have regained more of my strength. But I will try. Be silent and let me work," Loki growls impatiently.

Jane tries to struggle free when he touches her, but he does not allow her to escape this time. The hoarse cries she emits make him cringe, and he quickly lays his hand on her head, trying to soothe her as best he can.

Carefully, he reaches inside her beleaguered mind and starts to unravel the tangles of The Other's spell.

He reflects on how stupid he had been, to think that her physical health was the only thing at risk once she'd been taken, although he suspects that has been compromised as well. There is blood leaking slowly from her nose, and he can vaguely sense the other physical troubles that plague her. This air is insufficient for her needs, he suspects. As a god, he and the others are not affected, but his Midgardian is not so fortunate.

Well, first he will see to her mind, and then her body.

It is a long process, and several times Loki feels as though he is pulling power right from the very marrow of his bones, but finally the spell is broken. Loki is left utterly spent and drained of all magic, but Jane blinks the tears out of her eyes and sees him at last. Truly _sees_ him.

"Loki," she whispers, her voice almost unrecognizable to his ears; it's nearly a croak. "You came for me."

He raises an eyebrow at that, frowning. Did she doubt him _again_? He chooses not to remember his moment of cowardice in the desert. "Of course I did, my Jane."

Jane's gaze shifts to Thor, who is looming over them both, and she smiles at last, her lips chapped and dry. "I see you even brought the cavalry."

Loki shrugs. "I required some aid, yes."

But Jane's eyelids are already slipping shut, exhaustion and relief relaxing the strain in her face. "Will you take me home? Please?" she asks.

"Of course," Loki repeats. He pulls his cape free and wraps her in it, cradling her carefully in his arms as he rises. He doesn't look at Thor.

Wordlessly, he carries Jane past Thor and out, continuing to walk until he is outside The Other's stronghold, picking his way around the blood pools and strewn corpses of the Chitauri garrison. He does not stop until he has reached Sif and the others. Only then does he look up from Jane's face.

They, like Thor, are bloodied and battered but overall whole. Not that Loki cares a whit.

"Is she-" Volstagg asks tentatively.

"Yet alive, but hurt. We are not sure of the extent of the harm that has been caused," Thor supplies, sparing Loki the effort. "Brother, we should take her to Asgard-"

Loki glares at Thor and shakes his head, setting his shoulders as if expecting a battle. "We are going nowhere until my strength has returned – my magic is not infinite. And then will I return _you_ _all _to Asgard. But she and I will be traveling to Midgard."

"The healers of Asgard-"

"I care not," Loki interrupts Thor coldly. "If I return, Odin will have me imprisoned once more, and I will not abide that. Besides, Jane asked to go home. You heard her yourself, did you not? 'Home' is Midgard. If the Midgardians prove unable to help her, _then_ will I bring her to Asgard. Not before."

Thor's brow darkens, but after a long moment, he seems to relent. "Very well, Loki. Send our friends home, but I will return with you to Midgard."

Loki rolls his eyes, thoroughly irritated, and lowers himself down to the ground, settling Jane into his lap. "To what purpose? To stand over me with Mjölnir, born of some misguided sense of-"

"_No_," now it is Thor's turn to interrupt. "I apologize for my earlier words, brother. But will you not agree that I am on better terms with the Midgardians than you?"

Loki raises his brow. "A moronic question; we all know the answer to that."

"Then you will need me, Loki," Thor asserts, ignoring Loki's insult. "SHIELD and Director Nick Fury mistrust you, and surely it is possible that if you arrive back on Midgard with Jane in such a state, they may not take you at your word? If I am there to vouch for you, I can only imagine things will go the smoother."

Loki bites back another sharp retort. He's seen to that already, hasn't he, with Lady Darcy?

Still, the strategist in him must acknowledge (grudgingly) that Thor has a point. As one of their lauded Avengers, Thor's presence and words will no doubt assure the best and most rapid care for Jane, and perhaps this may even improve Loki's standing with the mortals in the long run?

He would much prefer for things to return to what they had been, at least for the moment; with both Jane and himself on Midgard. He does not think Jane is yet ready to abandon her current life, to spend it a fugitive in Yggdrasil. Despite all the wonders he would enjoy showing her.

Still, some part of him wonders at Thor's insistence. Perhaps Thor does doubt him still? Well, no matter either way. So Loki agrees, but warily. He has come to expect traps lying in wait for him everywhere, given the events of the last mortal year. He will not let down his guard.

It takes nearly the entire length of an Asgardian day for Loki's magic to build to a useful level again. Loki chafes at the wait, even though he knows he needs to rest. He checks constantly on Jane but she does not wake, and the state of her health does not appear to worsen. That, at least, brings him some measure of relief.

Finally he is ready. First he sends Sif and the Warriors back to Asgard, waiting until he knows them safe on the Asbru Bridge before calling that end of the pathway back to himself.

He bends the pathway a final time, the process coming with much more ease now that he has had so much recent practice – surely this will prove useful if and when Thanos or other agents of his come calling – and before long they find themselves on Midgard. At Thor's suggestion, they materialize in the middle of the bridge of the so-called Helicarrier.

Much as Thor predicted, the reaction is swift – guns are drawn, curses are muttered - but with Thor attempting to appease the mortals and Loki's hands obviously occupied with holding Jane, no violence ensues.

Soon Fury, flanked by Barton and Romanov, arrives on the scene. He takes in everything, his single eye narrowed, then orders everyone to be at their ease and beckons Loki and his semiconscious burden forward.

"I'll take you to Medical," Fury says, Thor falling into step behind them both.

"Injuries?" Fury asks curtly as they stride down the corridor.

"I believe the air where she was held was insufficient to sustain your kind for long periods," Loki explains, striving to keep his tone as clinical and detached as Fury's, lest his emotions overwhelm him. "She has abrasions from her bindings, her nose bleeds at times, and I can sense other hurts – headache, weakness, nausea. She was also tortured with a spell to inject terrors into her mind, but I doubt much can be done about that last, except for the passage of time."

Fury nods, stopping in front of a large double door, and he motions them to proceed ahead of him as the doors sigh open.

Loki brushes by all the people in the room and deposits Jane on the nearest bed, then resists the efforts of the mortals to move him from Jane's side. Distantly, he is aware of Fury and Thor talking – discussing him, no doubt.

"Come, Loki," Thor urges, appearing at his side. "Let the mortals do their work." But Loki does not wish to heed him, so he does not. When Thor attempts to press the issue, Loki bares his teeth at him and jerks his arm free of Thor's grip-

Loki's hand accidentally strikes the side of Jane's bed, and spins it in a nearly-complete circle. Mortals scatter everywhere, and Jane wakes with a gasp.

"Loki!" Thor hisses warningly.

"Oh, very well," Loki growls. "In but a moment."

He stalks over to Jane's bed and re-orients it back to its starting position. "My apologies," he says unwillingly to the mortals milling nervously around them, then he turns to her. "Be at ease, Jane, you are safe. These Midgardian healers will attend to you now."

"Thank you," she whispers. Her voice still sounds strange to his ears, but some of the light is back in her eyes when she looks at him, and she smiles sleepily.

Guilt tears at him with taloned claws.

He allows Thor to lead him back out into the hallway, but the farther away he moves from Jane, the worse he feels.

This is all his fault.

When Loki returns later, Jane is asleep, an odd sort of muzzle affixed to her face. The Midgardian healers, still uneasy around him, explained that it is oxygen, to combat the damage that had been done.

Then they had left, leaving him to grip her cold limp hand gently within his own, to watch her still form and wish, passionately, that he had been prudent enough, _intelligent_ enough, to have spared her all this.

It is a poor reward she has been given, for all the gifts she has given _him_ so freely.

Loki had told his full story to Fury, in Thor's presence, which included confirming the events that Fury had heard himself from Lady Darcy. Thor had also added his own perspective, in agreement with Loki's, from time-to-time during the discussion.

Loki supposes that the sole positive thing to have come from this terrible experience is that Fury had seemed satisfied. Or at least satisfied enough to allow Loki to return to Jane, and the one-eyed leader of men hadn't even posted guards to follow after.

Though perhaps that last was merely because Fury realized how entirely useless such an exercise would be.

But that small victory has little luster. The Other had _found _Loki, and perhaps it had already communicated that fact to Thanos, before Loki killed it? Even if Loki redoubles his efforts, strengthens his cloak and his warning-spells, puts spells of protection on Jane…will it be enough? Does he dare risk her again?

Does he dare risk experiencing once more those horrific feelings of panic and fear, and now the guilt?

Unbidden, Jane's accusation comes back to him. _Get away from me, you _monster_!_

It even has echoes: _Because I am the _monster _parents tell their children about at night?_

Loki knows in his heart that Jane had not meant it, as confused and bespelled as she had been.

Yet, was it not effectively _true_? Though he had suspected at the start of their arrangement how dangerous it might be to involve her, to allow himself to become close to her and the comfort she offered, in his arrogance he had ignored his instincts. He had not recognized that _she_ might be the one to ultimately pay for the poor choices he had made so many months ago, when he had released his grip on Thor's hand and fallen into the abyss.

Not to mention- why give his enemies another way to hurt him?

Perhaps both of them would be better off-

The doors swish open, cutting off Loki's gloomy thoughts, and he looks up to see Selvig standing in the doorway. Loki's jaw tightens, but Jane's mortal friends have as much right to see her as he does, so he releases Jane's hand reluctantly and gets to his feet. "Dr. Selvig," he says quietly, eyes lowered lest he give some new offense, "You probably wish for some time alone with Jane."

He does not wait for an answer, sweeping past the other man, but Erik's low, bitter voice follows after him, freezing Loki in his tracks.

"I told her you were bad for her."

Loki's shoulders tighten until they ache, but for once he can find nothing to say in reply. For a brief moment he is tempted to turn and strike the foolish mortal who dares to insult him, but no doubt that is exactly what Selvig wants.

And besides, is that not exactly what Loki himself was just pondering?

He marches off before the scientist can make another cutting and accurate observation.

Loki finds Thor standing on what the mortals refer to as the observation deck, looking out at the rolling waves of the ocean beneath them.

"Loki!" Thor greets him. "How is Jane?"

"The healers tell me she is stable. They are giving her oxygen, and also medicines to treat her headache and nausea." Loki does not bother to share the complicated names of the medicines.

Thor nods and smiles, reaching to clasp Loki's shoulder. "You did well, brother."

Loki grinds his jaws together. Bad enough that he did _not_ do 'well'_._ Had he done _well_, Jane would never have been put in this predicament. Never suffered for his arrogance.

He requires a target for his anger. "I am _not_ your brother, _Odin_son. And saying it constantly will not make it so. _Ever_."

But Thor does not rise to the bait. Instead, his eyes sharpen as he studies Loki's face. "What troubles you, Loki? Jane is safe now."

"Nothing," Loki lies, already losing his taste for argument. "I am merely tired. Bending pathways between Realms is not a power I exercise often, and doing so multiple times has left me weary." He pauses, thinking quickly, then adds a further lie: "Indeed, it will be several days before I will be able to return you to Asgard."

Thor nods, appearing unconcerned. "Do not trouble yourself, Loki. I am in no hurry to return home." He grimaces, and Loki wonders just how strained things have become between Thor and Odin, though he does not ask. His curiosity is muted; he has far more practical matters to consider.

"I would prefer to remain until Jane is cured," Thor continues, "in case you need to bring her to Asgard after all. I would go with you, help you plead your case before Odin."

Loki toils to keep his face blank, even as his wrath rises and seethes below the surface. "I thank you," he manages to fib. _Plead before Odin? Hah! _

"Now, if you will excuse me," Loki declares, "I wish to go see to Jane."

Thor nods at him, and Loki turns on his heel and paces from the room before the urge to strangle Thor overcomes his good sense (or such of it that he still possesses).

Once in the hall, Loki reaches out with his magic. Selvig is still with Jane, which does not improve Loki's black mood at all.

_I told her you were bad for her._

His shoulders aching with tension, Loki searches for a quiet corner of the flying fortress in which to sit and think. _Alone._

Two days later the doctors pronounce her well enough to get out of bed, and Fury orders Jane to return home for some much-needed rest.

Jane does feel much better physically, though everything is still jumbled up in her head. She knows who she is, and who Loki is, and yet…it's like there's some shadowy after-image in her brain. As if her memories somehow exist on multiple planes at once, and in all of them except this one, Loki is as twisted and evil as so many believe him to be. And _worse_.

It does not help that Loki has been acting so oddly lately. He is quieter than usual around her, more detached. Although Thor had told her that Loki had sat with her nearly that entire first day while she had slept, gripping her hand as if he had been still in fear of losing her, Jane can't remember him holding it at all in the last two days.

Perhaps he is uncomfortable showing affection to her around so many people who were effectively his adversaries not so long ago. Or maybe it's Thor's presence? Thor expresses warmth and caring much more openly than Loki, and maybe Loki fears this reflects badly on him, given he is much more reserved?

But she also has to consider the very real possibility that this is all in her damaged psyche. Maybe she's _looking_ for problems, for evidence that the real Loki is not as he claims to be. Maybe it's her that's exaggerating the gulf between Thor's easy, friendly manner and Loki's awkwardness.

All in all, it is a relief when she gets the order to return home. Loki will be teleporting them back, of course, and then apparently he'll be sending Thor back to Asgard as well.

Jane will need to ask Loki to tell her the full story of her rescue, once she feels better. She's heard everyone else's side of it so far – Thor's, Darcy's (the latter by phone), and Fury's. But not his.

When Loki works his magic and they end up standing in the center of her living room, the barely-lived in apartment feels very welcoming. As is Darcy, who shows up not five minutes later. The women hug tightly, nearly babbling with relief.

Through it all, Jane is aware of Loki and how distant he seems, watching them as if they are strangers to him.

Even Darcy notices it, which at least confirms it's not all in Jane's head. "What's up with _him_? Do male Asgardians get periods or something?" she asks Jane in a low voice after pulling her aside into the kitchen.

Jane shakes her head and glances back at the living area. "I really don't know. He hasn't really talked to me since I regained something like real consciousness. Maybe he's just tired? Thor told me Loki drained all his magic trying to round everyone up, killing the head bad guy, and rescuing me." Jane leans against the counter. That's the other lingering problem she has – complete and utter exhaustion after the smallest effort. Maybe it's not so crazy to think that Loki is just as worn out as she is, if for different reasons?

Jane tries to stifle a yawn, and though she doesn't intend it to be interpreted that way at all, Darcy takes it as a hint. "Well, you're obviously tired so I'll leave you to rest. Give me a call if you need anything, OK? Or just to talk. I'm even willing to talk shop, if you want." Darcy adds with a smirk.

"Thanks, Darcy." Jane hugs her again. "Oh, and thanks for helping Loki. I don't know all the details, but Fury told me you basically helped make sure the Earth wouldn't be caught with its pants down if there was another alien army on the way."

Darcy shrugs. "Just helping out a friend," Darcy replies. She winks at Jane and crosses the living room, heading towards the door. "Later, Loki!" She calls over her shoulder, but Loki mumbles something in response that Jane can't make out.

The door closes, and they are alone together.

Jane wobbles a bit on unsteady feet as she walks towards the couch. She looks wistfully over towards the bedroom, but if something is bothering Loki, she'd rather talk it out first with him, if he'll let her.

She sits down and reaches out a hand to him, though he doesn't move, he just stares out the window.

"Loki," Jane tries, "I don't remember if I thanked you-"

"Thanks are not necessary," he contradicts her in that strange low, flat voice which has been his default over the past two days. When he has spoken to her at all.

Jane shifts uncomfortably and frowns. "What's the matter, Loki? Talk to me."

Loki says nothing for a very, _very _long moment. When he speaks at last, he turns towards her, but his eyes do not meet hers.

"Regretfully, I must dissolve our 'arrangement'," he says in that same empty tone.

Jane's eyes widen. He says nothing else, and a cold feeling starts in the pit of her stomach. "Wh- what?" she stutters. Surely he didn't say that, she must be imagining-

"While it has been most enjoyable, the time has come for me to focus on other, more important things."

Jane just stares at him, her heart thudding heavily in her ears. Words fail her.

"Yggdrasil is at risk," Loki goes on, "and I was a fool not to put it first. Thanos will surely make a play for the Tesseract. I must return to Asgard and defend it, or there will soon be nothing left. Everything will _end_."

Jane finally gets her jaw to work. "If you need to go away for awhile, that's OK. I understand. And I'm sure everybody would appreciate your efforts to help. But I don't see why that means we have to _end_ things completely-"

"It is a _distraction_, that is why. I have been selfish, focusing on mere physical pleasure, when I should have been thinking about the good of the Nine Realms."

"'Mere physical pleasure'?" Jane asks, her voice rising in pitch. "I don't understand you at all. First you come running to save me…and now _this_? Why are you trying to end our relationship?"

"'Relationship?'" he hisses, meeting her gaze at last, and his eyes are so cold that for a moment Jane can almost believe that her hallucinations were close to reality; that there's only a thin veneer separating them from the real Loki. She shrinks back into the cushions, heart pounding and icy sweat starting at her temples as he continues, his voice a growling rasp: "We did not have a _relationship_. We had an _arrangement_; an exchange of sexual intercourse and physical comfort. A tumble between sheets, for mutual entertainment. No more than that."

The cold feeling in her stomach intensifies, nausea twisting inside her.

"Don't _I_ get a say in all this?" She tries reaching for anger, but she's too tired and beaten down.

Deep in her bones, she knows that this battle is already lost.

"No," Loki says curtly, turning his searing gaze away again. "It is _done_. Be assured, Jane Foster of Midgard, that though it obviously seems cruel to you right now, this is better for all concerned. Were we to continue our arrangement, surely you would once again become a target for Thanos and his allies. I am doing this for _you_."

"No," Jane retorts, trying to muster the last of her energy, "You're not. I don't know _why_ you are doing it. What makes you think they won't come after me anyway, whether we are involved or not?"

But she's arguing to an empty room. He's already gone.

The silence presses on her temples and ears and she slumps on the couch, empty inside.

It makes no sense. Why rush across the universe, with Thor and a small group of Asgardians in tow, bring her back here…only to basically tell her that what they'd had was worth _nothing_?

How could he leave her like this, with her brain still addled by The Other's spell, having to remind herself half the time of what's actually happened to her and what was only poisoned delusion?

Unless…this had all been exactly what Erik and Fury had been telling her from the start – a lie. An elaborate ruse to get her to dump Thor, and then to cripple her emotionally.

If so, she had bought into his act. Hook, line, and sinker.

She'd let herself dare to fall in love with him, to trust him, despite all the warning signs. Despite even the evidence she'd witnessed with her own eyes – Loki stalking her, _threatening_ her.

Probably him backing off that very first time they'd met in person had been part of his strategy. Present himself as empathetic, as _human_, so she'd be dumb enough to trick herself into getting involved with him, into thinking she had made the choice to be with him, instead of realizing he was manipulating her...

_It's true, I _am_ the world's dumbest smart person._

Her head aches and her ears ring, and when she puts her hands automatically to the back of her neck, trying to relieve some of the oppressive tightness there, a final unpleasant surprise undoes her: Loki's necklace is still around her throat.

Jane puts her face into her hands and sobs, rocking slowly back and forth on the couch, numb and aching at the same time.

She's never felt so alone before.

**Yeah, yeah, I know, another cliffhanger. What can I say? Loki made me do it-**

**Ah, who am I kidding? It was me. And I'm not even sorry. So feel free to hate on me for it in the comments. :)**

**Time to play "Guess what happens next?": Any predictions on how Darcy will react to Loki's little dump-and-run? Thor? Erik? Fury? Is this the end for our favourite anti-canon couple? ;)**

**And I can't believe I've been writing this thing for over a year! Would you believe at one point it very nearly was nothing more than a one-shot non-con Lokane fic, before I had the much better idea to turn it into this supersized thing? *boggles***


End file.
